Towards a smoke-free generation in Malaysia – paradigm shift required

AFP

We, members of the Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC), health professionals and civil society members, are very concerned by the increasing burden of smoking. Every year, more than eight million people die from tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure causes 1.2 million deaths annually. Tobacco use is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, cancers, respiratory diseases, and many other debilitating health conditions.

Smoking means inhaling and expelling the smoke or vapour of any tobacco product, and includes the holding of or control over any ignited, heated, or vaporised tobacco product under the Control of Tobacco Products Regulation 2004 (amendment 2015). There should not be any dispute or ambiguity over the definition of “smoking” by those who use e-cigarettes and vape. Any gaseous substance that is exhaled diffuses into the environment and accumulates progressively indoors, harming the occupants within.