The PSC said it feared that the proposed enforcement provisions could be abused, misinterpreted or result in punishment that is not proportionate with the offences set out in the bill.

“We hope to be given the opportunity to consider if the restrictions, liabilities and enforcement procedures under the bill are aligned with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,” said its chairman, Azalina Othman Said, in a statement.

Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin tabled the bill, which has been dubbed a generational endgame (GEG) policy, for its first reading before the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday.

Azalina also voiced concerns about the scope of power for enforcement officers appointed by the minister under the bill, saying that such officers should receive special training as the proposed law involved children.

If approved, the bill would not only prohibit the sale of cigarettes and tobacco, but also vape products to anyone born after 2007.

Azalina also echoed the views of Dr Kelvin Yii, chairman of the PSC on health, on Thursday, who opposed calls for juveniles breaching the law to face criminal punishment.

Instead, Yii suggested that youths, especially first-time offenders, caught possessing tobacco products carry out community service, undergo counselling and be meted a “reasonable” fine.

The PSC on health also urged Putrajaya to postpone the implementation of the bill by three years to give the government more time to prepare and ensure the law was executed effectively.