GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) has objected to the proposal made by Galen Centre's chief executive Azrul Mohd Khalib that the generational end game (GEG) be dropped to allow the Control of Tobacco Product and Smoking Bill 2022 be passed in Parliament.
CAP education officer and activist against smoking, vaping and e-cigarettes N.V. Subbarow said what Azrul's proposal was not reasonable because the current issue was the sale and marketing of electronic cigarettes or vapes that resembled children's games.
Subbarow said the marketing was clearly targeting children and teenagers.
He said, even those who did not smoke, would also be tricked into using it.
"Without provisions prohibiting the sale of any form of smoking products, including electronic cigarettes or vaping, this matter cannot be fully curbed.
"The government should have made a complete ban on the sale of electronic cigarettes or vaping since the entry of this product into the Malaysian market in 2016.
"We have insisted that the sale of electronic cigarettes be banned immediately like neighbouring countries such as Singapore, Brunei, Thailand and Cambodia so that it does not continue to harm our children," he said today.
Referring to the statement of the Special Select Committee Considering the Tobacco Product Control Bill 2022 which was published on Oct 5 last year, Subbarow said the implementation of the GEG provision was agreed by each member representing their respective political party.
He said the statement had clearly acknowledged that the provision of GEG was very critical considering that Malaysia had experienced the problem of double smoking burden, which is the problem of smoking tobacco cigarettes and also the problem of smoking of the new millennium which is electronic cigarettes or vaping.
He added that it had been discussed at length and CAP insisted that this provision of GEG must be continued.
He said the statement had also included provisions for the Periodic Report proposed to be presented at both sessions of Parliament to see the effectiveness of GEG implementation.
"Therefore, CAP does not see a basis why the provision of GEG must be dropped, unless there is industry intervention in this regard," he added.
In a previous statement by the Ministry of Health, through a projection study conducted, the bill with the control of smoking products coupled with the GEG provision would save more than 2.06 million lives.
At the same time, the cost for treatment would continue to increase to RM8.77 billion to treat disease complications due to tobacco smoking and RM369 million to treat EVALI (Electronic Vape Associated Lung Injury) by the year 2030 if GEG is not implemented.
"Once again, CAP urges the government to act immediately and pass this bill with GEG provisions," he stressed.