KUALA LUMPUR: Members of Parliament (MPs) should set an example to put a stop to the habit of smoking and vaping, said Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni.
He also suggested that all MPs should refrain from vaping inside the parliament building, if they were serious about tackling the problem of smoking and vaping in the country.
"If we really are serious in putting an end to smoking and vaping habits, then it should start in parliament itself.
"I therefore urge all MPs to avoid smoking or vaping in premises like the parliament, and find a more suitable place (to smoke)."
Lukanisman said out of the 1.54 million secondary school students screened under the nationwide Oral Health Tobacco-Free programme, the ministry found 38,010 students were smokers.
The programme also found that there were 374 primary school pupils who smoked out of the 2.41 million children screened.
"The Health Ministry is cooperating with the Education Ministry to train 141 school counsellors and teachers involved in drug prevention education to deal with students who smoke."
He was responding to a question from Dr Halimah Ali (Perikatan Nasional-Kapar) on the ministry's efforts and successes in reducing the dependence of youth on vapes and cigarettes in the Dewan Rakyat today.
In his reply, Lukanisman also said the prevalence of vaping among women had also increased from 2.8 per cent in 2017, to 6.2 per cent in 2022.