PUTRAJAYA: Two million deaths in less than 20 years.
This is the number of deaths linked to smoking tobacco and nicotine products that the Health Ministry estimates the country will see if nothing is done to eradicate the habit in future generations.
In an interview on Friday, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the ministry projected that it would cost the government RM8.8 billion by 2030 to treat three major smoking-related diseases — lung cancer, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
This is almost three times the estimated RM3 billion in tax collected from the sale of tobacco products.
"The ministry estimates that we can prevent two million deaths by 2040 if the Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill is passed in Parliament and the tobacco generational endgame (GEG) is implemented.
"I hope members of parliament (MPs) will make the right decision and choose to save two million lives, save our future generation and protect them from being addicted to smoking cigarettes and products containing nicotine, an extremely dangerous poison," Khairy said.
The bill, which contains a clause to ban smoking and prohibit the ownership of tobacco products by people born in 2007 and after, is scheduled to be tabled for its second reading at the Dewan Rakyat on Monday.
If the bill is passed, it is expected to be enforced in 2025.
Khairy described the bill as crucial to legalising and controlling the sale of e-cigarettes, which is being conducted "illegally" as the matter was in the grey area of existing regulations.
The government would be able to collect tax once the sale of e-cigarettes is legalised following the passing of the bill.
Khairy said the government had missed out on RM500 million in taxes annually since the sale of e-cigarettes began about 10 years ago.
"This is a conservative estimation, the figure could reach up to RM1 billion (annually). But the government could not collect tax from something illegal."
The sale of e-cigarettes, also known as vape, would remain illegal to people born in and after 2007 once the bill is passed.
Khairy said the ministry believed in tobacco harm elimination instead of reduction.
"E-cigarettes contain nicotine, and nicotine addiction is 80 per cent higher compared with other substances.
"It takes only 10 seconds for smoke from nicotine products to reach our brain and two days for people to get addicted to it.
"It is extremely difficult to stop this habit once peopleare addicted to smoking."
He said those born in and after 2007 caught smoking would not be criminalised or jailed once the GEG law is enforced.
"Offences under the GEG (for offenders born in and after 2007) will not be registered under the Registration of Criminals (and Undesirable Persons Act 1969)."
He said the proposed maximum fine of RM5,000 for offenders was only a deterrent.
Under the existing practice, he said, underage buyers would be slapped with a RM50 compound under the Control of Tobacco Product Regulation 2004.
"Since 2019, 10,421 compounds have been issued to underage buyers.
"Of the total, only 1.4 per cent, or 145 cases, have been charged in court, with all offenders pleading guilty.
"The average fine issued by the court was RM200 to those who pleaded guilty."
With all the arguments presented, Khairy said there was no reason for MPs not to support the bill.
"Nevertheless, we are confident that the bill and GEG will help us eliminate the smoking habit in the country."
If the bill is passed, an independent committee will be set up to carry out a mandatory evaluation of the effectiveness of the proposed law before it is enforced.
Khairy said the committee would conduct another round of reviews in the event the law requires amendments 10 years after it has been enforced.
He said the setting up of the committee was among the recommendations made during his engagement sessions with the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC).
Other recommendations made by the PSC, said Khairy, included for the GEG to be imposed on people born in and after 2008 instead of 2005.
"However, I told the committee that 20,000 people will die if we delay the GEG to apply to people who are born in and after 2008.
"We reached a consensus for the GEG to be applicable to people born in and after 2007, who are now 15 years old."
He said the ministry would hold more engagement sessions with those involved in the tobacco and e-cigarette industries before the GEG is enforced.
The ministry is looking at several mechanisms, such as the use of QR codes and identification card readers, in the implementation and enforcement of the GEG to not inconvenience those unaffected by the law.