Help current smokers to stub out the habit too, urge experts

Experts say if parents who smoke and have children who will be under the GEG can’t quit, they must not smoke in front of their kids or at home. – AZMAN GHANi/The Star

THERE are plans to ban smoking and vaping for the younger generation, but more help should also be given to existing smokers.

Respiratory specialist Dr Helmy Haja Mydin says, as quitting can be tough, it is important to make more services available to help smokers snuff out the habit.

“We should consider allowing medicine to treat nicotine addiction be available as over-the-counter products rather than by prescription,” he suggests.

Another important measure that can be taken by the government is to increase the availability of “quit smoking” services for the B40 (low income) group.

“This is because about 60% of smokers are from the B40 category,” he says.

Dr Helmy says studies have shown that it takes only 10 seconds for smokers or vapers to feel a sense of pleasure.

As such, the more nicotine you consume, the more your body craves it.

“Without it, there are withdrawal symptoms which explains the difficulty in quitting for smokers even though 50% of all smokers want to quit.

“This is one of the reasons there is a vape epidemic among youth in the United States that has led to the Food and Drug Administration there calling for the ban of Juul [an electronic cigarette product],” says Dr Helmy, who is also the co-founder of Asthma Malaysia, an NGO for patient education and empowerment.

As for parents who smoke and have children who will be under the GEG, he says if they can’t quit, they must not smoke in front of their kids or at home.

“This will prevent their children from picking up the behaviour and avoid complications from secondhand smoke,” he says, adding that a special programme to promote a no-smoking home can be found at my-house.com.my.

It was reported that the new Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill is expected to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat this month.

Called the generational endgame (GEG), the Health Ministry plans to ban smoking and vaping for those born in 2005 and beyond.

Urging all MPs to vote in favour of passing the Bill, Dr Helmy says protecting our children’s future is already a good enough reason to vote for it.

“If not, there is also sufficient data that this move will result in positive economic returns,” he adds.

Disagreeing that vaping should be excluded from the GEG, Dr Helmy says ecigarettes are another form of nicotine addiction with their own list of health complications.

“The pro-vape lobby states that they only want to sell in order to help smokers quit. As such, they shouldn’t have any problem with the GEG concept as the ban is to prevent new users of cigarettes or electronic cigarettes,” he says.

Malaysian Green Lung Association president Ho Rhu Yann says nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) such as nicotine transdermal patches and nicotine chewing gum should be easily available for purchase at pharmacies.

“This will enable treatment to be made more widely and easily accessible when smokers need it,” he says.

Smokers need an instant remedy for the craving to ease off, just like paracetamol for fever or headache, he explains.

Another factor that affects the access to medicine is affordability.

“The government should treat NRTs like any other medicinal products and consider zero-rating its import tax of 15%.

“This is in contrast to ecigarette gels or liquids which have zero import tax,” he says.

For the tobacco industry, Ho says the new Bill will not “kill them overnight” as they can continue to run their businesses for at least 50 years while adapting to other businesses.

“These issues are solvable, but once health is damaged, life is lost, it is irreversible.

“Health should be the only concern the lawmakers have when they evaluate this Bill,” he says.

Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Koh Kar Chai says the association is all for the GEG.

“In fact, we have been working very hard over the years for a bold move to be made to end smoking in this nation,” he says.

Dr Koh points out that smoking causes a whole host of diseases which includes various cancers, heart diseases and respiratory illnesses.

“It can also contribute to certain eye diseases, stroke, certain immune diseases – the list goes on,” he says.

With the move, Malaysia may also see diseases caused by second-hand smoke reduced.

Dr Koh believes that more importantly, the move should push Malaysians to embrace a healthier lifestyle.

“This must become desirable to Malaysians. With more health conscious Malaysians, I believe we will eventually see fewer smokers and vapers,” he says.

President of the NGO Ikram Health Malaysia Dr Mohd Afiq Mohd Nor says it is a fact that giving up nicotine is very challenging, especially if someone has been using it for a long period.

“Smokers may experience withdrawal symptoms, which usually start within two to three hours after the last cigarette.

“It may drag from a few days up to a few weeks. That’s why one should never start smoking or vaping,” he says.

Dr Mohd Afiq says the government can also give some incentives, awards, or tax exemptions to those who have joined smoking cessation programmes and successfully quit for good.

For those who vape, Dr Mohd Afiq says the new Act does not ban the product for people born before 2005.

”They still can vape. But of course, we will never stop encouraging them to quit vaping,” he says.

National Cancer Society of Malaysia managing director Dr Murallitharan M. says it is critical for smoking cessation tools, products and services to be more widely available at highly subsidised prices, if not for free.

“This should be the government’s commitment towards helping current smokers,” he says.