Anti-smoking Bill: MPs, let us be on the right side of history

Photo: IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star

THE issues of smoking, vape, and nicotine addiction in Malaysia have not seen much progress over the past decade.

The country’s smoking prevalence is currently at 21.3%. And 45% of men across all age groups smoke. Women smokers hovered around 1% and 17.4% of children aged 13 to 15 will be smokers, and one in 10 of those aged younger than 12 have lit up a cigarette. For every RM1 collected from tax imposed on tobacco, RM4 is spent on treating those suffering from smoking-related diseases. Unfortunately, an estimated 27,000 people each year still prematurely lose their lives due to these conditions.