KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 — The Health Ministry has decided to enact a standalone tobacco control law to completely prohibit smoking in public, with a limited number of designated smoking areas.
Bernama reported Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad as saying that the move to enact a Tobacco Control Act was to protect the public, especially women and children, from secondhand smoke.
“Perhaps one day we shall have legal provisions that prohibit smoking near a minor, regardless of where the offence takes place,” Dzulkefly was quoted saying in Melaka Saturday.
“It is always heart-breaking for me to see adults puffing away even while carrying a child in their arms.”
The Health Ministry imposed a nationwide smoking ban in restaurants, including open-air outlets, since January this year, but has yet to create designated smoking areas.
