Anti-smoking Bill on hold again, referred to Health PSSC

KUALA LUMPUR: The anti-smoking law has been put off again.

The Bill, tabled for first reading in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday by Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa, has been referred to the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) for Health for further fine-tuning.

The Bill, which was first tabled by then Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin last year, had also been sent to the PSSC then for fine-tuning due to resistance from several lawmakers. The revised Bill contains more than 20 recommendations made by the PSSC.

Dr Zaliha told the House yesterday that it was important to refer the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023 to the PSSC to ensure adequate check-and-balance.

Dr Zaliha said that based on engagements with the PSSC, lawmakers, professionals and civil society groups, there have been requests for the provisions to be further refined.

“Therefore, the ministry has proposed that the Bill be referred to the PSSC,” the Sekijang MP said, adding that her ministry remained committed to seeing the implementation of the GEG.

Meanwhile, a highly-placed ministry source told The Star that the Bill was already complete after it was reviewed by the PSSC last year and the committee’s recommendations had been included in the fresh Bill.

The source said the Bill was improved to include steps on how the GEG provisions would be included.

There were two proposed steps on how the GEG will be implemented. GEG enforcement would first be implemented for conventional smoking. A review will then be conducted on the efficacy before enforcement on vaping was rolled out, the source said.

“It could take about three to five years,” the source said, adding that there could also be a “misunderstanding” among MPs on the improvements made to the Bills.

The Bill – which includes the GEG provision – seeks to regulate the sale, purchase and consumption of cigarettes and other smoking products among those born in 2007 and later.

However, the aspects related to possession – which were in the previous anti-smoking Bill – have been dropped. The maximum fine remains at RM500 but no body searches will be conducted.

The enforcement in relation to the registration, advertising, packaging, sale and use of conventional tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, loose tobacco and rolled cigarettes would be immediately enforced on the GEG generation once the Bill is passed.

Meanwhile, any law enforcement on the GEG generation regarding the sale, purchase and use of products which use smoking devices – such as vapes, liquid nicotine and others – will come into force at a later date.