Malaysia Minister Vows to Table Smoking Bill

Malaysia’s health minister has vowed to table the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023 before the end of the current parliament’s session on Nov. 30, reports The Star.

“God-willing, I assure you that we will table this Bill before the end of the current Parliament session,” Zaliha Mustafa was quoted as saying.

His comments came after the Attorney General Chambers reiterated an earlier statement that the Generational Endgame Ban (GEG) clause of the proposed legislation can be challenged in court.

The GEG seeks to ban tobacco and vape products for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2007.

The Attorneys General Chambers insist this provision contravenes Article 8 of Malaysia’s constitution, as it creates unequal treatment before the law between a person born before that date and individuals born after the date.

It was unclear from contradictory reports whether the bill heading to parliament still includes the GEG. An earlier report by CodeBlue suggested the clause had been removed in response to the constitutional concerns raised by the Attorney General Chambers.

The legislation also includes provisions on registration of tobacco products, advertisement, packaging and smoke-free places, among other items.