Health Ministry: Prevalent smoking trend among school students worrying

 

The Health Ministry is concerned with the prevalent smoking trend among the younger generation after a study last year showed over 43,000 secondary school students had picked up the habit.

Its minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa told an interview that the high number is worrisome and has been the main reason why the country needs an effective law to prevent youth from becoming smokers.

According to the minister, the study also found that 431 primary school students had picked up the unhealthy lifestyle, from a total of two million students surveyed. The survey was done at selected schools across the country.

"Throughout this study we conducted on underage smokers, especially those at primary and secondary schools, we have identified that over 43,000 students were involved in smoking. This is why we are so worried.

"And lately, we found that vape products are being sold outside schools, which is a concern because children can be easily attracted to these products due to their design, colour and taste.

"This is why the effort to stop this must also be across ministries," she said, as quoted by Utusan Malaysia.

Zaliha said this was the very reason why the Health Ministry will continue the efforts to table a bill to control tobacco, scheduled during the ongoing Dewan Rakyat session this month.

The bill, which was dubbed as a generational end game (GEG) law, has been named the Control of Smoking Product for Public Health Bill 2023.

Fine-tuned bill

Speaking about the new bill, which had been fine-tuned from its earlier version that was tabled to the Parliament last year, Zaliha said the law would only be enforced on individuals who were born on Jan 1, 2007, and onwards.

The bill also proposes punishment only against the purchase and sale, and use of smoking products, involving the target group.

Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa

Possession of smoking products will not be an offence under the new bill.

"The clause that prohibits possession of smoking products by the new generation has been taken out.

"Thus, there is no more issue about youths going to be subjected to body checks by authorities since the clause is no longer part of the law," she said.

According to Zaliha, the amount of fine being proposed under the bill has also been reduced from RM5,000 to RM500.

Those punished under the law would also not be registered as criminals.

"This is because we want to take the approach of educating our younger generation against using smoking products.

"We want to teach our younger generation so that they understand that their actions have a negative impact on themselves," he said. - FMT