As a medical practitioner, it is indeed heartening to note that the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act (Act 852) is finally to be in place on October 1, 2024.
I view this as a “better late than never” piece of act, which is a progressive step forward in the bid to reduce the harmful effects of tobacco, as well as vape products, which have been ravaging the nation for far too long.
Though there have been and will still be resistance towards the Act, with some claiming that it is not perfect, it is nevertheless a great step forward. I laud the current health minister for this.
There was the worry that sales of vaping products to minors will go unchecked since the control of nicotine was removed from the Poisons Act, which riled up many in the health care fraternity.
What is needed now is an awareness campaign targeted not only at the general public, but also at school-going children, who have been increasingly exposed to vape products.
This awareness campaign should then be followed by a strict enforcement of the Act. We hope the authorities will continue to crack down on those who infringe the Act, and not let enforcement activities fizzle out once the issue dies down in the media.
This implementation of Act 852 will hopefully pave the way to a smoke and vape-free Malaysia for future generations.
Shall we now hope that there will be a revisit of the Generational End Game element, which has been on the backburner since it was removed from the revised Control of Smoking Products for Public Health 2023 Bill during its first reading in the Dewan Rakyat on November 23, 2023?
Dr Koh Kar Chai is president of the Manipal Alumni Association Malaysia.
- This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of CodeBlue.
