The Ministry of Health (MOH) shared a deeply concerning statistic regarding the habit of smoking in our country today, whereby it was revealed that over 43,300 school students are smoking cigarettes. Speaking in the Dewan Negara today, Deputy Health Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni said that the findings were made via screenings conducted on 3.3 million primary and secondary school students through the Oral Health Tobacco-free (KOTAK) programme last year.
As reported by BERNAMA, Lukanisman revealed that out of 1.3 million secondary school students screened, a total of 43,019 were identified as smokers. Meanwhile, screenings conducted on 2 million primary school pupils found that 341 were also into the habit despite their young age.
The Deputy Minister asserted,
“Those identified as smokers were given the intervention for smoking cigarettes, while those who do not smoke were given continuous health education to ensure they remain smoke-free.”
Deputy health minister, lukanisman awang sauni
He further elaborated that MOH would continue to strengthen and expand the Anti-Smoking Generational End Game 18 Plan (GEGAR-18) which aims to provide legal knowledge and continuous education to create a smoke-free environment. The Ministry would also extend the GEGAR-18 campaign to youths who are not at higher learning institutions through the Malaysian Youth Council and other related organisations.
Smoking has been a hotly debated issue following the government’s move in Budget 2023 to impose excise duty on liquids and gels containing nicotine used in e-cigarettes and vapes. Towards that end, the government recently removed liquid and gel nicotine products from the Poisons Act 1952, a move that many criticised.
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However, in the latest development today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim assured the people that a bill related to the control of smoking products including e-cigarettes and vape will be tabled next month. As for the excise tax on liquid and gels containing nicotine on e-cigarettes and vape, the rate is RM0.40 per millilitre and has been in place since 1 April 2023.
So, what do you guys think of the whole situation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
