ALL MPs should support the Government’s move to table the Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill when it is tabled at the Dewan Rakyat next week, said the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).
“The Bill, also known as the Generational end Game (GEG), seeks to stop our future generations from starting smoking tobacco-based products, e-cigarettes and vaping products.
“Knowing the difficulties in trying to get rid of the addiction, cutting off its supply from the young will remove the effort needed to wean them off the habit later on, when they realise the harmful effects of such products,” its president Dr Dr Koh Kar Chai said, in a statement.
Earlier today, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that MPs should not use smuggling as an excuse to not support the GEG Bill.
He reminded lawmakers that the Bill had received support by stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations (NGO) and also vape operators.
“We have to be on the right side of history. This Bill has been 10 years in the making. Yes, there is (an) illicit market but don’t use the illicit market argument to vote against the law which is for public health. We will fight the illicit market,” Bernama reported the Rembau MP as saying.
Free of smoking-related ailment
Touching on the matter, Koh said if the Bill gets passed, Malaysia can look forward to healthier citizens who free of diseases related to smoking and vaping.
As taxpayers, he added, Malaysians could save money treating diseases related to the habit, with many people realising how costly such treatment can be.
“Having seen the health and economic ravages such products have caused to countless people across the world, we have put a stop to such destruction.
“Besides, cessation of smoking requires strong will power and immense effort due to the addictive nature of tobacco. This has led to e-cigarettes and vaping emerging to purportedly assist smokers in kicking the habit.
“Whilst claiming to be less harmful than tobacco, we have seen that e-cigarettes and vaping products are also harmful to health,” Koh remarked. – July 23, 2022
