In reviewing GEG, consider harm reduction, separate vape rules, PSC told

 

Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia says there is a need to separate laws for smoking and vaping rather than lump them under the Generational End Game bill.

PETALING JAYA: The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) reviewing the Generational End Game (GEG) bill should scrutinise the matter holistically, including considering tobacco harm reduction (THR) strategies and the illicit cigarette and vape situation, says a community health specialist.

Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) also said there was a need for separate laws for vaping rather than lumping it together with GEG.

The GEG plan, under the Control of Tobacco Product and Smoking Bill 2022, seeks to ban the use, sale and possession of tobacco and vape products for those born after 2007. However, after numerous concerns were raised about the bill, the government decided it should be referred to a PSC.

Sharifa said there were concerns that the GEG bill in its current form could lead to a proliferation of illicit cigarettes and vape products as well as missed opportunities where THR strategies are concerned.

“Harm reduction may play a role in helping recalcitrant smokers switch (to a less harmful alternative) and reduce overall harm. This is being done in a few developed countries including the UK, US, Japan, New Zealand and Australia,” she told FMT, adding that this requires monitoring and regulations.

She said separate legislation is needed for vape products, which are made of different chemicals, as it is considered less harmful if properly regulated.

“It is an aid to switch to a less harmful product and, in the end, an aid to stop smoking among recalcitrant smokers. It is not meant for non-smokers and those under 18 years of age.

“The nicotine contents and concentrations need proper labelling, quality control for the e-liquids, a closed device system to avoid modification of the e-liquid, and potentially be taxable among others,” she said.

Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Association Malaysia (FPMPAM) president Dr Steven Chow said the PSC should use this opportunity to review evidence on tobacco harm reduction.

Chow said THR strategies, including the use of vaping as a cessation tool, should be looked into.

If necessary, the PSC can propose regulating vaping separately for this purpose, he said.

“GEG bundles cigarettes and vape together and does not allow for a different micro-management approach as is the case with other addictions. Do we deal with heroin addiction the same way we approach smoking? No,” Chow told FMT.

“We urge all policymakers, regulators, healthcare practitioners and relevant NGOs to examine all dimensions of this issue, consider all the pros and cons, risks and benefits, and encourage healthy debate on GEG.”

Azrul Mohd Khalib of the Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy said the Control of Tobacco Product and Smoking Bill 2022 is more than just GEG, but also about regulating tobacco and vape products.

Presently, he said, even schoolchildren were taking up vaping, and so long as it remains unrestricted and unregulated, the journey to nicotine addiction would start at a young age.

Shahabudeen Jalil says he welcomes the GEG bill, but both smoking and vaping should not be bundled together regulation wise.

Azrul said Malaysia’s situation was different from New Zealand and the UK which have pre-existing tobacco control laws in place even before vape products were introduced.

“Malaysia has not had a tobacco control bill equivalent, and this is an opportunity to streamline and harmonise regulations related to both tobacco and vaping at the same time,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nanostix Innovation Sdn Bhd director Shahabudeen Jalil said he welcomed the noble intention of the GEG bill to prevent future generations from taking up smoking, but said there was a need for different regulations for cigarettes and vape products.

“Cigarettes and vape are two very different products, so they should not be treated the same way,” he said. - FMT