Malaysian parliament passes revised tobacco control bill with stricter measures

  Malaysia’s parliament has passed a bill imposing stricter tobacco controls, including a ban on the sale and purchase of tobacco products by minors, as part of a proactive public health effort.

According to a November 30 report by Malaysia’s national news agency, the Malaysian parliament has successfully passed the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023.

Health Minister Dr. Zaliha Mustafa tabled the bill, which includes provisions prohibiting the sale and purchase of tobacco products, tobacco substitutes, and any smoking-related services for minors.

At the same time, the bill removes a provision originally created for the Generational End Game (GEG), which would have banned the sale of tobacco products and cigarettes, as well as smoking, for people born on or after January 1, 2007.

The bill was first introduced on Tuesday (November 28) and underwent its second reading on November 29. It contains a total of 54 clauses, and 27 members of parliament participated in the debate.

Zaliha expressed gratitude to former health ministers for their work on tobacco-related research and the drafting of the bill.

She said, “They put in significant effort to address tobacco issues in general and the drafting of this bill in particular, and for that I express my sincere appreciation.”

Malaysia’s parliament also passed the Food (Amendment) Bill 2023 to amend the Food Act 1983 and keep it aligned with the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023.