Malaysia Mulls Age-Based Tobacco Ban

Malaysian Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin wants to ban smoking for the next generation of Malaysians, according to reports by Lowyat and Code Blue. The plan comes in the wake of New Zealand’s announcement that it would prohibit the sale of cigarettes to anyone born after 2008.

Jamaluddin plans to table a new Tobacco and Smoking Control Act at the upcoming Parliament meeting from Feb. 28 to March 24, which will replace the current tobacco product control legislation under the Food Act 1983.

The bill will also regulate e-cigarettes and vape products, according to Jamaluddin, who called the bill a “generation endgame.”

“For too long, our healthcare system has been burdened with healthcare issues resulting from smoking,” said Jamaluddin. “This allocation will enable smoking to be phased out in stages until one day in [the] future, Malaysia will be a smoke-free country.”

A date for the proposed legislation has not been specified nor has a cutoff year of birth for the cohort smoking ban.