Tobacco control law to be tabled for first reading soon

No to smoking!: Lukanisman (third from left) officiating the launch of the national-level World No Tobacco Day 2023 at Dewan Hang Tuah in Melaka. Also attending is Ngwe (fourth from right). — Bernama

MELAKA: The Control of Smoking Product for Public Health Bill 2023 is expected to be tabled in Parliament early this month, says Deputy Health Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni.

He said the Bill is crucial for protecting the health of the younger generation and it comprises two main aspects, namely the control of smoking products including vape and ecigarettes, and the implementation of the generational endgame (GEG) policy.

“The Bill could not be tabled in the previous parliamentary session due to the dissolution of the previous government, but the ministry is committed to bringing the Bill for its first reading in Parliament after the Kaamatan and Gawai holidays.

“Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa brought the Bill to the Cabinet last week and I was informed that the Cabinet has agreed for the ministry to table the Bill for the first reading,” he said after the launch of the national-level World No Tobacco Day 2023 at Dewan Hang Tuah here yesterday.

Lukanisam said his ministry will also hold an engagement session with stakeholders in the ecigarette industry on the policies proposed under the new law.

He added that the implementation of the Bill needs to be expedited because according to the National Health and Morbidity Survey, the number of ecigarette users among teenagers in this country increased by 14.9% to 307,109 last year compared with 211,084 in 2017.

Of the teen users, 242,849 were boys while 64,260 were girls, he said.

“The increase in the number of ecigarette users among teenagers is very worrying, therefore in order to overcome the issue and problem of the use of smoking products especially among children and teenagers, legal control needs to be strengthened through the Bill,” he said.

Also present at the launch were Melaka health, human resources and unity committee chairman Ngwe Hee Sem and state Health Department director Datuk Dr Rusdi Abd Rahman, Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong, Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai, and National Cancer Society Malaysia president Datuk Dr Saunthari Somasundaram and honorary adviser Datuk Mohd Ridhwan Mohd Ali.