00:00Thailand's alcohol laws have built a reputation for being some of the most complex in the region.
00:05Sales hours have shifted, customers can now be fined for drinking outside permitted times,
00:10online alcohol delivery remains banned, and even posting a branded drink online
00:15can technically violate advertising rules. But the regulations go far beyond the inconvenience
00:21of simply buying a drink. To legally brew alcohol in Thailand, so-called small operators must
00:28produce at least 100,000 liters per year, and even then, they're restricted to selling only on their
00:34own premises. To distribute more widely, production requirements jump to the millions of liters annually.
00:41When you add high excise taxes and strict marketing bans, many small brands struggled to just enter,
00:49let alone compete in the market. Supporters argue that these laws protect public health
00:54and reflect Thai cultural values. And in a country with high rates of alcohol consumption
00:59and drunk driving, that concern isn't unfounded. Critics, however, contend that the system may
01:04also entrench the dominance of a few major industry players, limiting competition and reducing consumer
01:11choice. So the real question is, are Thailand's alcohol laws truly designed to protect society,
01:17or do they ultimately protect the market leaders?
01:21Tune into The Signal across the nation's official accounts as we dive deep into this investigation.
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