by AZALEA AZUAR / pic MUHD AMIN NAHARUL
BRITISH American Tobacco (M) Bhd (BAT) said that the government should take a holistic approach which strengthens the role of harm reduction and less harmful alternatives to smoking, instead of a total ban on tobacco.
BAT MD Nedal Salem said that this method’s effectiveness has yet to be scientifically proven and is more likely to be detrimental to Malaysia’s health agenda.
Salem proposed that the Ministry of Health (MoH) look at alternatives such as vaping instead, which is supposedly less harmful and a viable alternative to reduce smoking prevalence.
“Our belief is that tobacco harm reduction is the most effective way to reduce the health impacts of smoking without fuelling the growth of the tobacco black market and criminalising entire future generations.
“In parallel, introducing some of the more balanced tobacco control measures, as seen in these same countries, will support smokers switching to less harmful alternatives and should be considered instead of prohibition,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He also hopes that the MoH can discuss about developing appropriate regulations for vape with industry players.
According to Salem, the move to ban smoking for those born after 2005 will encourage illegal tobacco trade.
The illegal trade of tobacco has accounted for almost 60% of the tobacco sales in Malaysia.
“Fuelling the illicit tobacco market doesn’t just line the pockets of criminals. It will have a significant impact on Malaysia’s economy which is already struggling to recover from the global pandemic.
“Industry, jobs and growth will be impacted, and government revenue will fall significantly,” he added.
The Malaysia Society for Harm Reduction (MSHR) also agrees with the benefits of harm reduction rather than the MoH’s Generational End Game (GEG) ban on cigarettes.
“There are merits to GEG, mainly to prevent youths’ access to tobacco and nicotine, and these are altruistic and welcomed.
“It must however, be acknowledged that the harm levels of cigarettes, tobacco products and vapes are all very different from each other,” it said.
MSHR believes that harm reduction is more practical in order to minimise the consequences of human behaviour as it does not condone or condemn any behaviour and is always applied when complete eradication is difficult.
Even the society is unable to guarantee whether those born after 2005 will not be exposed to tobacco products.
“Somehow, they will still come across these products, be it from their family, friends, when they travel abroad or from illicit cigarette sellers.
“In general, we have not been successful in curbing demand and curtailing sales of cheaper, contraband tobacco products. Thus, a blanket ban on tobacco and vape would push underground activities further in the dark and invigorate the demand back to illicit tobacco products,” it said.
Not only are total bans proven ineffective but it will also increase the demand for illegal cigarettes.
Therefore, MSHR hopes the government can rework in the GEG to ban the cigarettes and gradually retract the sales of electronic nicotine delivery systems to cater to smokers that want to switch to a safer alternative.
“There needs to be a holistic, unbiased and systematic introduction of reduced harm potential of alternative smokeless products and accessible nicotine-replacement therapy.
“Knee-jerk bans will less likely bring any effort to create a healthier Malaysia, but rather a better option are a systemic and scaled omission of harmful products and alternatives that are safer,” the association said.