KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 — The Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC) has proposed that the government impose short to long-term measures to control nicotine addiction including introducing a roadmap and national level-control plan.
MCTC said as part of its long-term measures, the Health Ministry and other government agencies need to announce a comprehensive strategy to contain and control nicotine addiction which will rise now due to the removal of nicotine liquid and gel preparations from the Poisons Act.
“A roadmap and national level-control plan need to be announced post-haste, with adequate funding and implementation mechanisms to ensure that it is carried out,” it said in a statement today.
It said the government needs to strengthen its education campaigns and at the same time, widening the cessation of services to those who are addicted to nicotine, regardless of whether they are using conventional cigarettes or e-cigarettes.
It also proposed that the government put in measures to limit the exposure of vaping and e-cigarette devices to children and young people.
“This may be done via cooperation with other agencies and ministries since there are no significant health legislative tools which may be used to limit harm at this point,” it said.
It also called on the government to ensure the Control of Tobacco Products and Smoking Bill as per its original intent and content is tabled and approved as quickly as possible.
“The prime minister has given his commitment that this will be done in the next Parliament sitting in May, and we implore that this timeline be adhered to without further excuses,” it said.
It said the Bill contains comprehensive measures for vaping and electronic cigarettes, which includes prohibiting its use among those under 18 years old.
MCTC’s statement was in response to the government’s move to remove nicotine from the Poisons List despite opposition from health professionals including those within the MCTC umbrella.
According to MCTC, the council has engaged numerous stakeholders including the health minister since the decision was made but they were unable to get the government to reconsider its decision.
“The MCTC is deeply concerned with the dangerous precedent that this has set where the health of Malaysians, especially children and young people have been put at risk merely for the idea of raising revenue,” it said.
It said the revenue can be earned through other mechanisms that do not harm the health of Malaysians, unlike this move.
MCTC said other government agencies were unprepared to collect taxes despite the haste to remove nicotine from the Poisons Act so that it could be taxed on April 1.
“A voluntary registration exercise is only now being carried out till April 30 for e-cigarette and vaping manufacturers to register their companies and products; and only after that will any actual taxation be carried out,” it said.
It said there was no transparency on the actual taxation measures so there was no timeline on when the actual tax collection will begin.
“This again calls into question the unseemly haste and rationale to exempt nicotine and expose a whole generation of young Malaysians to harm in order to collect some revenue — when it cannot even be done at present,” it said.
Now that nicotine is readily available to everyone, including exposure to children and young people, it said the Health Ministry must immediately take the short to long-term measures it proposed for the well-being of all Malaysians.
