KUALA LUMPUR, September 27 – Khairy Jamaluddin has amplified calls for support of the Control of Tobacco Product and Smoking Bill 2022 from all parties, including lawmakers, ahead of the bill’s re-tabling in the upcoming Parliament sitting next month.
Despite pushback against the tobacco bill’s “Generational End Game” (GEG) provision, Khairy continues to reiterate the economic benefits of the bill, which he said would include lowering the expenditure to treat smoking-related diseases and a potential tax revenue of RM500 million from the vape industry.
The GEG seeks to prevent an entire generation from consuming all tobacco products.
Khairy plans to re-table the Control of Tobacco Product and Smoking Bill 2022 – which aims to prohibit tobacco and vape for anyone born from January 1, 2007 – for debate in the upcoming parliamentary meeting that begins next week on October 3.
If passed, the government aims to implement the GEG from 2025, which means that those born from 2007 will not be able to legally smoke, or purchase tobacco or vape products, even when they turn 18, the current legal smoking age.
“By implementing the GEG provision, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will not only reduce the cost of treating diseases caused by smoking complications, but most importantly, it can save nearly two million Malaysian lives.
“Cigarettes not only kill, they also have a huge impact on the country’s economy. Let’s do the right thing for the people and the country. Support the bill,” Khairy said in his speech at the GEG video premiere online launch today.
The one-minute GEG video featured an animated “GEG 2007” shield that prevented harmful materials in tobacco products from entering a human lung. The GEG video premiere was live streamed on eight Facebook pages, including the Malaysian Green Lung Association, the National Cancer Society Malaysia, and the National Kidney Foundation Malaysia.
Influential youth group Undi18 yesterday urged the government to consider postponing the proposed generational tobacco ban to those born from 2023, instead of starting with the 2007 cohort.
Undi18 co-founder Tharma Pillai pointed out that those born from 2007, who are aged 15 or younger today, may have already formed personal opinions or wishes to smoke in a country that has normalised the behaviour.
