Malaysia's Senate passes 2023 tobacco control bill, removing 'generational endgame' clause

  Malaysia's Senate has passed the "2023 Public Health Control of Smoking Products Act," which prohibits the sale and purchase of tobacco products to minors.

According to a report by the Borneo Post on the evening of December 14, the Malaysian Senate passed the "2023 Public Health Control of Smoking Products Act."

This act includes a ban on the sale of tobacco and electronic cigarette products to individuals under 18 years of age, as well as prohibiting this group from purchasing and using such "smoking products." Electronic cigarette device management has also been removed from the "2023 Public Health Control of Smoking Products Act," with the government transferring control of such products to the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) and the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) to be responsible for safety standards and manufacturing.

The act requires all tobacco and electronic cigarette products to be registered, and the online sale of electronic cigarettes and electronic cigarette vending machines will be regulated under this act.

Additionally, the act has removed the "Generational Endgame" (GEG) clause, which prohibited the sale of tobacco products and cigarettes, as well as banning individuals born after January 1, 2007, from smoking.

This act has passed the second reading in Parliament and has been sent for a third reading, where it will be debated by 22 members of Parliament.

At the end of the debate, Health Minister Dr. Zulkifli Ahmad stated that the removal of the "Generational Endgame (GEG)" was a collective decision made by the government after considering the legal opinions of the Attorney General.

He stated that according to the Attorney General's perspective, the "Generational Endgame" provision posed issues of unfairness and discrimination in legal status, meaning it treated individuals born before and after January 1, 2007, differently.

At the same time, Dr. Ahmad also proposed four amendments to the "Food Act of 1983" to ensure that there are no conflicts or overlapping provisions between these two laws.

Furthermore, Parliament has also approved the "2023 Food Act" to amend the Food Act of 1983, aligning it with the approval of the Control of Smoking Products Act.