THE Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) fully supports the move by the Health Ministry to ban smoking at eateries.
The ban will be in line with Malaysia’s commitments under the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to curb smoking in public areas. In fact, in India, many states have banned smoking in public places and statistics have shown a huge reduction in cigarette smoking. Beijing, too, has stubbed out smoking in public.
According to the Health Ministry’s statistics, an estimated 100,000 Malaysians die from smoke-related illnesses every year.
It is crucial to keep in mind that the deadly threat posed by cigarettes extends not only to the smokers but also to others exposed to the cigarette smoke.
This so-called secondhand smoke puts even non-smokers at greater risk of developing lung cancer, heart disease, stroke and the lethal list goes on. For instance, lung cancer risk increases by 20 to 30 per cent in those who are regularly exposed to other people’s cigarette smoke.
A ban on smoking in eateries is thus long overdue, especially since the 2011 Global Adult Tobacco Survey revealed that seven in 10 Malaysian adults were exposed to secondhand smoke when visiting restaurants.
In addition, more than 80 per cent of Malaysian respondents to the survey wanted 100 per cent smoke-free public places.
Contrary to the fears of restaurant and coffeeshop owners that their profits would take a hit, a ban would also make good business sense.
CAP, therefore, urges the Health Ministry to stand firm against attempts to stall or water down the ban on smoking in eateries. In fact, we believe it should go a step further and extend the ban to all public places.
That would constitute a major contribution to safeguarding public health, for it would not only protect non-smokers from secondhand smoke but may also induce smokers to quit the habit.
According to WHO, smoking bans can play a part in bringing down smoking rates.
It is, in short, high time for the public health scourge, that
is cigarette smoking, to be snuffed out.
S.M. Mohamed Idris, president, Consumers Association of Penang