PETALING JAYA: Obstructing children’s access to tobacco is expected to be effective in keeping them from picking up the habit of smoking, says a tobacco control non-governmental organisation.

       Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations Tobacco Control coordinator Muhammad Sha’ani Abdullah said the means to blocking this access needs to be addressed before the new law to ban smoking – along with the possession of tobacco products, including vape products, for people born after 2005 – can be effective in the long run.

       “Children below the age of 18 are not allowed to smoke, so the new proposed law states that minors cannot have access to tobacco products.

       “Whether it will be successful is where the adult population comes into play because back in the 1950s, there was already a law that only allowed smoking in staff rooms. Then in 1983, the government introduced a ban on smoking in government buildings.

       “So, imagine if we had a high level of compliance? The law is clear about smoking; what has happened is that people have disrespected the law. This is the failure,” he told The Star.

       He added that education on buying illegal products must also be addressed.

       As for vaping devices, he said any electronic items in the country must be approved by the board and any liquid substances also must be approved by the Health Ministry. Vaping, however, exists in a bubble and has not been addressed.

       On Feb 17, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin restated the government’s plan to introduce a new law to ban smoking and the possession of tobacco products, including vape products, for people born after 2005 as a generational endgame (GEG) for smoking in the country. This was first mentioned in a special address to staff members of his ministry on Jan 13.

       Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC) Prof Datuk Dr Lekraj Rampal said eight million people have died from tobacco use since Jan 2021 to 14 Dec 2021.

       In Malaysia, non-communicable diseases (NCD) are the number one killers, as such Dr Rampal said risk factors for NCD continue to rise in Malaysia.

       “There are about five million smokers in Malaysia and accounts for twenty thousand deaths per year. Passing a law prohibiting the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products including vape and ecigarettes to people born after 2005 is one of the important strategies to reduce the NCD risk factors,” he said.

       Dr Rampal also weighed in on vaping, calling it a new threat for Malaysians as evidence has shown a lot of health implications, therefore it must be controlled along with the use of cigarettes.

       “Up to now there is no evidence of a link between the effectiveness of quitting smoking using vape. In fact, many studies have proven that vape can cause many health implications due to the production of corrosive agents by heating the liquid that contains vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol and flavour,” he said.