Be cautious over ‘ambitious’ bid to ban cigarettes sales, govt told

 

Azrul Mohd Khalib of the Galen Centre said Khairy Jamaluddin’s ‘generation endgame to smoking’ would require strict enforcement.

PETALING JAYA: The head of a local health think tank has cautioned the government over its “ambitious” plans to ban the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to those born after 2005.

Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy CEO Azrul Mohd Khalib said the decision was an ambitious one as it represented an almost immediate ban. Putrajaya, therefore, needed to be cautious and ensure it had the necessary buy-in and support from the public.

“This generational smoking ban represents an almost immediate ban, in effect, earlier than New Zealand,” he told FMT.

He said stronger and more effective enforcement would be vital for the ban to succeed.

Azrul Mohd Khalib.

“Based on Malaysia’s track record, taking the example of the smoking ban in eateries, enforcement will be a serious weak spot that will need to be overcome.

“Not just for the ban, but also to beat back against the illicit tobacco market.”

FMT previously reported that the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce & Industry predicted that an “uncontrollable black market” for cigarettes and vapes would develop following the ban.

“It’s a bold move with the potential to make an unprecedented massive leap forward in tobacco control, drastically locking the gate against new smokers in Malaysia,” Azrul said.

Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Koh Kar Chai told FMT he did not view the government’s ban as an overly ambitious effort, as he believed the health minister had the political will to enforce it.

Dr Koh Kar Chai.

“I believe that the current health minister has the will to see it through, but it’ll definitely need the collective effort of the entire government and all of society to make it work.

“Strong enforcement must be the emphasis, especially at the point of sale,” he said.

He added that the government’s move to ban the sale was a step in the right direction, because “if a larger segment of the population can be prevented from lighting up, the better.”

Speaking at the 150th session of the World Health Organization’s executive board meeting in Geneva on Jan 26, health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the country hoped to pass legislation this year that would bring about a “generation endgame to smoking”.

The health ministry has confirmed that the plan to prohibit the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to people born after 2005 will also include the sale of vape and e-cigarettes. - FMT