The existence of various smoking products, especially e-cigarettes, and their wide promotion have impacted government efforts to curb early exposure to cigarettes, particularly among school students, revealed Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni.
The bill, tabled by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad, among other things, prohibits the sale and purchase of tobacco products, smoking materials or tobacco substitute products and providing any services related to smoking to minors.
The Health Ministry should have allowed the constitutionality of the Generational Endgame provision to be debated in Parliament instead of removing it completely from the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2023, said the Malaysian Medical Association.
The Dewan Rakyat has passed the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023 today, following heated debate by MPs from both side of the political divide over the exclusion of the generational endgame (GEG) provision.
The Control of Smoking Products For Public Health Bill 2023 is the “best” draft legislation on the matter available, and will lay the groundwork for a return of the Generational Endgame (GEG) in the future, the health minister’s special adviser Dr Kelvin Yii said today.
