According to a report by Nanyang Online on March 14th, Malaysia's Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Lee Kang Hensman, said that members of Parliament should set a good example by not smoking e-cigarettes within the parliamentary premises. He pointed out that if MPs truly want to reject smoking, they should take responsibility and "find a more suitable place to do it!"
In response to a question from Harlina, a member of parliament for the Islamic Party-PAS, he noted that in order for the anti-smoking campaign to be effective, it requires cooperation from all parties, including parliamentarians who should not be influenced by tobacco companies lobbying.
He mentioned that in the government's preparation to propose the "Generational Smoke-Free" (GEG) policy, the influence of tobacco companies lobbying members of Parliament has led to them making decisions contrary to the government's stance on this issue.
In addition, he mentioned that according to the Ministry of Health's "KOTAK Smoke-Free Oral Health Program," which will be implemented in schools nationwide by 2023, out of 3,953,796 elementary and middle school students who received screenings, 38,384 of them were found to be addicted to smoking.
Ruganiisman stated that among the 1,540,035 middle school students who underwent screening, 30,810 students were found to be smokers, while among the 2,413,761 elementary school students, 374 students were found to be smokers.
He pointed out that the existence of various smoking products, especially the widespread promotion of e-cigarettes, has hindered the government's efforts to curb early exposure to cigarettes, especially among students.
He said that in order to curb this issue, the government has taken multiple measures, including the enactment of the 2024 Public Health Tobacco and Smoking Control Act (Regulation 852) on February 2 of this year, to strengthen the prohibition of selling tobacco products to minors.
He pointed out that through the Law 852, efforts are being made to strengthen legal prohibitions on the advertising and sale of smoking products, including smoking products that resemble children's toys.
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