“Don’t tell me that we shouldn’t have high ambitions just because there’s an illicit cigarette market…I’ve never heard such defeatist sentiments,” says Khairy Jamaluddin.
A 2016 study by the Institute for Public Health found that 125,714 children born from Jan 1, 2005 smoke cigarettes, while 62,306 vape; the cohort ban prohibits tobacco and vape.
The government’s goal to reduce smoking prevalence in Malaysia to 15% by 2025 can be achieved if it also empowers smokers desperate to kick the habit with the tools they need.