Display ban, plain packs reduce cigarettes’ attractiveness, say experts

 

A cigarette display ban can reduce the psychological addiction towards cigarettes, Galen Centre’s Azrul Khalib and former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said. 

PETALING JAYA: Implementing bans on the display of cigarettes, and introducing plain packaging can deter their attractiveness and prevent new smokers from picking up the habit, says a health expert.

Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy CEO Azrul Khalib said these measures could make cigarettes less appealing and prevent casual smokers from picking up the habit.

“However, they cannot work in isolation. They are not cure-alls, and they must be implemented together with existing anti-smoking initiatives to be effective,” he told FMT.

Azrul Khalib.

Azrul said while measures like plain packaging, which involve the removal of brands, may not heavily impact long-term smokers, they can significantly reduce the influence of cigarette marketing.

He said Australia saw a decline of about 25% in smoking prevalence between 2012 to 2015 due to plain packaging.

Meanwhile, former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said a cigarette display ban and a switch to plain packaging are necessary to reduce psychological addiction towards cigarettes.

Psychological addiction, he said, is when a smoker responds to a specific cue, such as when they see a smoking-related advertisement or notice a pack of cigarettes.

“These are some of the cues that we need to cut down for smokers,” said the former Gopeng MP.

Dr Lee Boon Chye.

Lee also said the introduction of plain packaging can curb excessive advertising by cigarette companies, which can in turn lower smoking rates.

Both Lee and Azrul said similar measures should also be implemented to regulate vapes and e-cigarettes, which currently have no marketing restrictions.

Previously, former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin proposed that the health ministry ban the display of cigarettes in shops and implement plain packaging for cigarettes.

He said such a ban would prevent cigarettes from being visible in convenience stores, adding that they should also be “out of sight”.

Reintroduce GEG

Lee also said he was disappointed in the government’s failure to push through the generational endgame (GEG) legislation, urging that it should be reintroduced to end nicotine addiction for future generations.

“While existing nicotine users would still be allowed to smoke, I hope that the country can achieve a future free from the nicotine epidemic,” he said.

“To do that, we need to start from a point where people born after certain years should not be granted access to nicotine products to prevent addiction in future generations,” he said.

Meanwhile, Azrul is confident that the GEG bill would be introduced in the next few years, allowing time for enforcement of the new Control of Smoking Products For Public Health Act 2024.

He added that the new legislation should be amended in a few years to include the GEG provision for both tobacco products and vape.

The GEG provision, which sought to ban the sale of tobacco products and cigarettes to those born after 2007, was part of the initial Control of Tobacco Product and Smoking Bill 2022.

However, the provision was removed from the Control of Smoking Products For Public Health Bill 2023, tabled last year.

Deputy health minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni told the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday that pressure and lobbying from tobacco and vape industry players influenced the government’s decision on the GEG bill. - FMT