KUALA LUMPUR: While the proposed Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill would provide much-needed relief for non-smokers, the move would also fuel the illicit tobacco market.
British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Bhd managing director Nedal Salem said the proposed generational smoking ban is effectively a prohibition and has never been tested in the real world.
He said the policy lacks any scientific evidence of effectiveness and is likely to be detrimental to the country's health agenda.
"While BAT Malaysia commends the Minister of Health's pro-active stance in reducing the health impact of smoking, but disagrees that prohibition is the way to achieve it.
"The prohibition will fuel the illicit tobacco market, which already accounts for almost 60 per cent of tobacco sold in Malaysia and, accordingly, will have negative consequences for public health," Nedal said in a statement today.
He said fueling the illicit tobacco market does not just line the pockets of criminals but will have a significant impact on Malaysia's economy, already struggling to recover from the global pandemic.
The new prohibition will impact industry, jobs and growth, and the government's revenue will fall significantly, Nedal said.
BAT Malaysia proposes a holistic approach whereby a policy that strengthens the role of harm reduction and less harmful alternatives to smoking.
It also proposes policies which encourage adult smokers to switch to those alternatives and the enforcement and control of the illicit tobacco market to ensure that cigarettes cannot be more easily accessed than less harmful alternatives and comply with specific tobacco control policies.
"The ministry should pursue a science-based regulatory framework, informed by the positions of countries, such as New Zealand and the United Kingdom, where vaping is acknowledged as significantly less harmful and a viable alternative to reduce smoking prevalence.
"We believe that tobacco harm reduction is the most effective way to reduce the health impacts of smoking without fueling the growth of tobacco black market and criminalising the entire future generations," Nedal said.
He said in parallel that introducing some of the more balanced tobacco control measures seen in these countries will support smokers switching to less harmful alternatives and should be considered instead of prohibition.
"We also call on the ministry to include industry players in the overall consultation process in developing appropriate regulations for vapour products," Nedal said.