The Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy also urged careful consideration of the bill, saying MPs should support it at the policy stage but call for amendments at the committee stage.
“If the necessary amendments cannot be made in time for this (Parliament) session, the government should consider deferring the bill to the next one in October,” it said in a statement.
Its CEO, Azrul Mohd Khalid, said the health ministry should also seriously consider the views of the parliamentary select committee on health, which proposed that the generational smoking ban’s enforcement be delayed by three years.
Azrul said the bill was “long overdue and much-needed” as it would help save the lives of thousands of Malaysians a year.
“However, the GEG is part of a larger bill containing provisions related to enforcement and penalties, which have now been subjected to review and scrutiny.
“Many issues have been raised, including the possibility that this law could disproportionately affect young people, persons of lower income, and vulnerable populations,” he said.
Comparing Malaysia’s GEG bill to that of New Zealand’s, Azrul pointed out that the latter placed the onus on retailers, firms and corporations to enforce its “Smokefree 2025” goal, and did not penalise individuals for possession or usage of tobacco products.
“(Malaysia’s) GEG measures should ensure that it is an offence to legally sell or supply tobacco or vape products to those born from Jan 1, 2007, but it should not criminalise possession or usage,” he said.
Last week, health minister Khairy Jamaluddin tabled the Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill, which seeks to prohibit the sale of cigarettes, tobacco, and vape products to anyone born after 2007.
On Saturday, Khairy said there would be no criminal records or jail terms for those who contravened the GEG law once it was enforced, with offenders only compounded a maximum RM50.
Khairy had been pushing for the bill in line with efforts to make Malaysia a tobacco-free country by 2040.
He said it would cost the government RM8 billion to treat diseases linked to the smoking habit like lung cancer, heart problems and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by 2030.