Smoking in Malaysia
In Malaysia, cigarettes are legally sold, smoked, and imported, but it is illegal to buy them from vending machines or online. Also, health warnings on packaging are mandatory, but there are no legal restrictions on smoking in public places. The total tobacco taxation rate is 0.52. Smoking remains prevalent with around 4.9 million current smokers recorded in 2024, which corresponds to 17.9% of adults current smoking prevalence overall, 0.5% among females and 33.6% among males. In 2021, smoking-related deaths was approximately 24,100, which represented 10.75% of all deaths, 15.03% recorded among males and 4.44% among females.
Read articles from Malaysia
March 31, 2022 by voanews.com
Malaysian Proposal to Phase Out Smoking Sparks Controversy, Concerns Over Corruption
Shortly after finishing her lunch at a Malaysian food court, Emily Lee, a 21-year-old university student, stepped outside, pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. “I usually smoke one pack per day,” she said. “I almost always smoke right after a meal.”
Lee said she started smoking when she was 17, a year below the legal age to smoke in Malaysia. “I had a bunch of friends who were smoking, so I started and quickly got addicted to the nicotine.”
Government statistics show that 1 in 5 Malaysians 15 years of age and older smoke, including about 40% of the men. There are more than 27,000 smoking-related deaths in the country annually.
March 22, 2022 by thestar.com.my
Study shows nearly 190,000 smokers under 12 in Malaysia, says Health Ministry
A previous study revealed that 188,020 children below 12 smoke either conventional cigarettes and e-cigarettes, says the Health Ministry.
This was based on the findings of the Tobacco and E-cigarette Survey Among Malaysian Adolescents (Tecma) carried out by the Public Health Institute (PHI) in 2016.
"A total of 125,714 children smoked conventional cigarettes while a total of 62,306 smoked e-cigarettes," the Health Ministry said in a written reply to a question raised by Chan Foong Hin (PH-Kota Kinabalu) in Dewan Rakyat on Monday (March 21).
February 25, 2022 by 24shareupdates.com
International experts ask Malaysia to reconsider prohibition policy on vaping
International public health experts called on Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to reconsider the government’s plan to prohibit the sale of tobacco and smoke-free nicotine products to those born after 2005, which they said may eventually create a large black market and fuel the illicit trade of these products.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Yaakob on 21 February 2022, academics and tobacco harm reduction advocates David Abrams, Clive Bates, Ray Niaura and David Sweanor said the prohibitionist policy may have unintended consequences such as the growth of the black market for cigarettes and alternative nicotine products.
February 18, 2022 by focusmalaysia.my
Vape is vital to achieve tobacco ‘endgame’, says expert
VAPE can play a crucial role in helping Malaysia achieve its Tobacco Endgame 2040 goal and this is why it is crucial to get vaping regulations right, said an expert in smoking cessation.
According to Dr Colin Mendelsohn, [...] vaping is a far safer alternative to smoking and is the most popular and effective quitting aid available and must be an important part of the strategy to achieve the Tobacco Endgame 2040.
“It should be encouraged as a quitting aid for the many Malaysian adult smokers who are unable to quit with other methods, as is the case in the United Kingdom and New Zealand,” he told FocusM.
February 07, 2022 by freemalaysiatoday.com
Be cautious over ‘ambitious’ bid to ban cigarettes sales, govt told
The head of a local health think tank has cautioned the government over its “ambitious” plans to ban the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to those born after 2005.
Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy CEO Azrul Mohd Khalib said the decision was an ambitious one as it represented an almost immediate ban. Putrajaya, therefore, needed to be cautious and ensure it had the necessary buy-in and support from the public.
“This generational smoking ban represents an almost immediate ban, in effect, earlier than New Zealand,” he told FMT.
He said stronger and more effective enforcement would be vital for the ban to succeed.
January 28, 2022 by freemalaysiatoday.com
Govt plans to ban sale of cigarettes to those born after 2005, says KJ
The government plans to outlaw smoking for the next generation by prohibiting the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to people born after 2005.
Speaking at the 150th session of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) executive board meeting in Geneva yesterday, health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the country hopes to pass legislation this year which would bring about a “generation endgame to smoking”. “This is by making it illegal for the sale of tobacco and other smoking products to anyone born after 2005,” he said.
January 27, 2022 by freemalaysiatoday.com
Vape and e-cigarettes are part of the nicotine problem
The intention to tax vapes and e-cigarettes as announced by the finance minister during the tabling of Budget 2022, and the revelation by the health minister that the government would be tabling a Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill regulating all tobacco-related products including electronic cigarettes and vaping devices, are both seen with welcome relief and alarm.
Such legislation will certainly ensure consistency and harmonisation of the government’s policy positions and decisions about tobacco control and its management. It is also expected to clear up confusion or misunderstanding regarding tobacco devices that don’t fit into current legal definitions.
November 26, 2021 by thestar.com.my
Reducing the harm from tobacco
According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019, more than an estimated 27,200 deaths in Malaysia were related to smoking tobacco.
The NHMS reported that the prevalence of current smokers was 21.3%, i.e. an estimated 4.8 million Malaysians aged 15 years and above were smokers.
Smoking was 30 times higher in males than females.
The highest prevalence was in the 30-34 years age group.
Smoking was more prevalent in those with primary and secondary education, and least with tertiary education.
November 03, 2021 by malaymail.com
British American Tobacco lauds govt’s move to tax vapes and e-cigs
Cigarette makers British American Tobacco (BAT) have lauded the policies in Budget 2022, particularly the government’s intention to tax and effectively recognise nicotine vapour, or vapes.
BAT managing director Nedal Salem commended the introduction of the excise duty for vape products containing nicotine, saying it was a right move towards tobacco harm reduction in Malaysia.
“Regulation will not only allow vape users access to reduced-risk alternatives to smoking, but also ensure the products used are compliant to quality and safety standards,” Salem wrote in a statement [...]
October 15, 2021 by thestar.com.my
THR can be a gamechanger in Malaysia
Smoking is not only the most common form of tobacco use but one of the leading preventable risk factors for premature mortality worldwide – killing more than eight million people a year, including non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke.
According to Dr Arifin Fii, a medical practitioner with experience in addiction therapy, Malaysia needs to look for innovative solutions to manage smoking prevalence in the country.
“Official statistics indicate there is little evidence showing that existing tobacco control strategies are working, as most smokers have a low desire to quit.