CYBERJAYA: There will be no direct repercussions to the tobacco market after the Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill is passed, says Khairy Jamaluddin.
The Health Minister said the ban on smoking would only affect those who were born in a certain year and not all smokers which means the market was still alive.
"This will not affect the economy overnight because those who are already smoking can carry on.
"There will be no immediate repercussions to businesses, the market will only be affected overtime and little by little until it fades out," he said after officiating the opening of the Hematogenix, the country's first central oncology laboratory in clinical research here Friday (July 22).
He added that there has been no opposition from various stakeholders with regards to the Bill including from vape entrepreneurs, NGOs, parents and the public.
Previously, The Star reported that under the proposed Act, children born in 2005 and subsequent years are prohibited from smoking and buying or possessing any type of smoking products, including electronic cigarettes or vape products, even after reaching 18 years old.
Apart from this, shopkeepers and cigarette vendors are also not allowed to sell smoking products to those covered by the ban.
