KUALA LUMPUR, 30 th May 2023 – Consumer Choice Center (CCC) urges the Government to reconsider its decision to table the Control of Tobacco Products and Smoking Bill 2022 which includes a generation endgame policy (GEG) in the upcoming Parliament session as further scrutinisation needs to be conducted on this matter that involves consumer preferences.
GEG too harsh on vendors
Representative of the Malaysian Consumer Choice Center, Tarmizi Anuwar, said: “It is time for the government to stop dictating consumers on what can be done and what cannot be done. All consumers have a fundamental interest in defending personal and civic freedoms. Therefore, they should be given a personal choice to decide what works for them without excessive intervention.”
“In addition, what consumers need are smart regulations that can protect them rather than restrict them because problems like smoking and vaping are multifaceted.”
“Government should educate consumers with factual and accurate information rather than spreading myths or false information on topics like vaping being supposedly more dangerous than cigarettes. Many internationally recognised scientific studies have concluded that switching completely to vaping provides important health benefits instead of continuing to smoke.”
In September 2022, the latest research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London found that the use of vaping products compared to smoking leads to a significant reduction in exposure to toxins that promote cancer, lung disease and cardiovascular disease.
GEG will only INCREASE illegal cigarettes
In addition, Tarmizi also said that the Government should focus on consumer safety. “This is because the illegal cigarette incidence in Malaysia is high at 56.6% according to the recent Illegal Cigarette Study by Nielsen IQ.”
“This is worrying as these illegal products contain harmful substances unsuitable for human consumption. In addition, these illegal cigarettes are easily accessible to teenagers as they are sold in mom-and-pop shops or online.
“Therefore, the Government should prioritise on combatting this problem rather than approving a bill that may lead to a hike in illegal products. Minors should not be allowed to vape or smoke. In order to avoid or reduce the risk of this happening, the government needs to ensure age verifications at point of sale are enforced to prevent minors from purchasing the products,” he concluded.
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***CCC Malaysia Associate Tarmizi bin Anuwar is available to speak on consumer regulations and consumer choice issues. Please send media inquiries to tarmizi@consumerchoicecenter.org.***
The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva, and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org.
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