re: "5 parties pledge to not support vapes" (BP, February 24, 2023)
Dear editor,
The five parties, Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), the Democrat Party (of course), Chartthaipattana Party, the Pheu Thai Party, and the Thai Liberal Party (really?), are to be commended for publicly exposing their strong stance against the notion that adults be permitted to decide for themselves how best to enjoy their own lives, in this case with regard to vaping, something that all five parties oppose for uniformly bad reasons.
Of course, this opposition to accepting the right of adults to the liberty to choose what risks to take in their pursuit of a meaningful life collaterally also supports the status quo that generates such lucrative extra income streams for members of the Royal Thai Police. Unjust law does tend to do that, at least since the US gave their Mafia a major boost by prohibiting alcohol back in 1920. Thai criminal gangs and their loyal employees in law enforcement are no less slow than their American counterparts in the 1920s at spotting a gift horse when morally challenged politicians indulging popular prejudices hand them the reins to riches.
Yes, e-cigarettes are almost certainly harmful. So is living in Chiangmai's filthy air. So, too, is pigging out on sugary drinks or biking on the streets of Bangkok. Alcohol and tobacco might not be more harmful to users than e-cigarettes, but even if e-cigarettes were proven to be (they have not been) a significantly greater health risk than regular cigarettes, that could not be a sufficient reason to ban them for use by adults. Living in a free nation where individual liberty is respected does entail accepting that some adults will do things that are unhealthy for themselves, such as drink alcohol, which is harmful in any quantity. If those campaigning against vaping are sincere, they will also propose banning alcohol on exactly the same health grounds and to protect children who might, horror of horrors, otherwise get their hands on whisky or champagne. The Thai mafia eagerly awaits such a promising new business opportunity.
Felix Qui
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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.
The text as edited was published in PostBag on March 4, 2023, under the title "For freedom's sake" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/2520204/rise-above-the-folly
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