KAJANG: Laws to ban the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to Malaysians born after Jan 1, 2005, will be tabled in Parliament in July, says Khairy Jamaluddin.

       “At present, there are no specific laws to control cigarettes and related tobacco products such as vape or e-cigarettes.

       “As such, we will be tabling such laws in Parliament this July,” the Health Minister said when launching the Gegar18 Anti-Smoking Generational End Game event at SMK Bandar Seri Putra yesterday.

       He said this proposed law was aimed at ensuring the nation’s young did not end up as cigarette smokers or vaping on nicotine devices.

       “Why don’t we just shut the door on smoking completely to a whole new generation of Malaysians?

       “We want to ensure that those who are not acquainted with cigarette smoking and vaping, will not come to know of it,” he said.

       Khairy acknowledged there were some who had reservations when the ministry was mooting such laws.

       One of the issues, he said, was the availability of smuggled cigarettes in the market and the lack of enforcement against smoking in prohibited zones.

       He noted that more than 60% of cigarettes in the country were currently smuggled and sold in the black market.

       “Some say ‘why not solve this problem first?’

       “But it doesn’t mean that we should take a less ambitious approach in wanting laws to shut the door on smoking to our younger generation or take a defeatist view on the matter,” he said.

       He assured the Health Ministry would be working closely with the relevant enforcement agencies to stamp out cigarette smuggling activities.

       “We will go all out and declare war against smuggled cigarettes and put a stop to it once and for all,” he added.

       He also warned smokers, who disregard warnings signs not to smoke in prohibited zones, that they would soon be targeted in anti-smoking enforcement operations.

       “There are smokers who don’t heed the no-smoking warning signs at restaurants and other prohibited areas. We will be coming for you,” he said.

       Earlier, Khairy said the nation lost some RM273bil due to the ill effects of smoking.

       The losses, he said, encompassed deaths due to smoking and related illnesses and the loss of productivity to the nation’s economy.

       “It is said that some 20,000 Malaysians die each year due to complications related to smoking.

       “This figure seems low. I believe that it is much higher if we take into account related illness such as heart diseases,” he said.

       Khairy added that the ministry would also make it easier for those wanting to quit smoking to purchase nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products at pharmacies.

       “We will also propose that import duties on NRT is reduced or completely abolished,” he added.

       Currently, 15% import duty is imposed on nicotine gum products.

       Meanwhile, Khairy also said that the ministry would continue with its programme to encourage smokers to quit smoking through its ongoing mQuit programme.

       He noted that the mQuit Masjid programme, which began on April 8, will continue every Friday at 12 selected mosques, including the National Mosque, the Federal Territory Mosque in Kuala Lumpur as well as Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque and Putra Mosque here.

       Also present at the event was Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Md Jidin.