MALAYSIANS have expressed belief that the illegal cigarettes trade will increase exponentially if the Government moves ahead with its plans to ban the sale of cigarettes to those who are born after 2005.
A recent study found that two-thirds of smokers polled have admitted that they have smoked or are currently smoking an illegal brand of cigarettes, indicating that cheap contraband cigarettes are a gateway to smoking.
This was revealed by a recent poll commissioned by Malaysian based think-tank DARE (Datametrics Research & Information Centre Sdn Bhd) with the survey carried out by Malaysia-based market research company Green Zebras Sdn Bhd.
“Our survey found that 83% of Malaysians think illegal cigarettes trade will increase exponentially with the ban on the sale of cigarettes to those who are born after 2005,” commented Green Zebras’ managing director & co-founder Steve Murphy.
“There is a strong belief that banning cigarettes sales to the next generation will only lead to a rise in the illegal cigarettes market, thus benefitting criminal syndicates.”
All-in-all, 94% of those polled believe that the low cost of illicit cigarettes (versus legal cigarettes) is a key driver for smokers to occasionally try or regularly smoke illegal brands. About 50% of Malaysians also said that the easy availability of illegal cigarettes is a critical factor in drawing people to purchase and smoke illegal products.
The study also found that 90% of the Malaysian population believes that the illegal cigarettes trade is a problem for Malaysia and wants it stopped. Unfortunately, six in 10 of those polled do not have the confidence in the Government’s ability to reduce black market activities, including illegal cigarettes trade over the next year.
“Malaysians understand that the illegal cigarettes trade has a high socio-economic cost,” Murphy pointed out.
“Before coming up with new measures that could worsen the present situation, perhaps the Government should first focus on enforcing its current laws to eradicate illegal cigarettes which is a big, ongoing issue in Malaysia.”
The Green Zebras’ poll was conducted online in March 2022 in both Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia. It comprises a sample size of 1,000 Malaysian adults and is nationally representative of the overall population by location, gender, race and age. – April 24, 2022
