LETTER | Pass the GEG Bill, stop our children from vaping

LETTER | I have watched with interest the issue of smoking, vaping and the much-discussed Generational Endgame Bill (GEG Bill) in the media, ever since it was first submitted by Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa in March.

Why is this of utmost importance? The GEG Bill, once passed, will control the use of e-cigarettes and vapes, which have not been regulated to date.

Many may not know but currently, the manufacturing, packaging, storing, sale and distribution of e-cigarettes and vapes are not regulated and can be sold even to children.

We can already see the prevalence of vaping rising among teenagers due to its attractive, colourful packaging and wide range of flavours. These designs can attract even children and the e-cigarettes can be camouflaged as a pen or toy.

Without the Bill, the rampant sale of e-cigarettes and vapes would remain unregulated. This is a worrying trend as the content of chemicals and nicotine in e-cigarettes and vapes is unknown without proper regulation.

Tests show that chemicals present in vapes have a detrimental impact on adults and children alike. And there are still other unknown and untested chemicals which resulted from the heated vape fluid.

Thirty-seven countries including our closest neighbours, Singapore and Thailand, have banned e-cigarettes and vapes from the market. We are already lagging behind and should really take firm action to address this issue.

Do we want our teenagers to continue picking this habit up? How much will that burden our healthcare system in the future?

Now, let’s look at the arguments against the Bill. There are those who claim that allowing the ban on smoking takes away the right of people to make a choice. An MP even claimed that sugar could possibly be banned in the future if Parliament voted to pass the GEG Bill.

Let common sense prevail. Sugar is part of our basic household items and will never be banned. The use of sugar does not impact third parties, unlike smoking.

As for taking away the people’s right to make a choice, what the Bill does is enforce people’s right to better health.

It is akin to seatbelts being made mandatory. There isn’t a choice when it comes to seatbelts. Seatbelts are made mandatory as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of passengers.

If we ought to allow people to choose, shall we then not make seatbelts mandatory? The GEG Bill aims to do the same.

Saving future generations

A fact to note is that this Bill has zero impact on current adult smokers. Creating a whole generation of non-smokers will save our future generations.

There have also been countless arguments by industry players that illicit cigarettes are on the rise, thus banning cigarettes and e-cigarettes for a whole new generation would stimulate the illicit cigarettes industry.

In fact, the prevalence of illicit cigarettes, although still high, has declined by 1.3 percent. What is also important to note is that the number of cigarette smokers has also registered a decline, from 342,210 in 2017 to 186,817 in 2022.

However, e-cigarette smokers and vapers have increased from 211,084 in 2017 to 307,109 in 2022 and these are teenage smokers and vapers aged 13 to 17. How will this impact our healthcare system in the future?

Besides, will we be seeing an increase in the prevalence of e-cigarettes and vapes of dubious origin circulating in Malaysia next?

Data shows a reduction in illicit cigarettes as the number of tobacco smokers drops. On the flip side, a rise in e-cigarette usage would attract irresponsible suppliers looking to make a quick profit by targeting the young generation.

Not forgetting, the industry has also previously claimed that taxation leading to price hikes is the main contributor to the prevalence of illicit cigarettes.

Has this stance changed since the industry has quietly increased the price of cigarettes recently, without any increase in taxation?

The price for a pack of Dunhill cigarettes has increased to RM17.70 from RM17.40; Benson & Hedges increased by 50 sen, Peter Stuyvesant by 30 sen and Kyo surpassing the rest with a RM1 increase.

Weren’t higher prices touted as the main cause of the prevalence of illicit cigarettes? Yet, when the industry quietly raises prices, it now has no impact on the illicit cigarette trade.

The industry has many excuses, but at the end of the day, they are just selfish businesses seeking to maintain their profits at the expense of future generations.

Detractors have also touted the loss of workforce and RM5 billion in tax annually to illegal trade.

The medical cost of smoking (and vaping) related diseases, specifically coronary disease, lung cancer and chronic lung diseases currently stands at RM6.21 billion and is expected to increase to RM8.77 billion by 2030.

This does not include the medical cost for EVALI - Electronic Cigarette or Vaping Associated Lung Injury which stands at RM150,892 per person for 12 days.

Is saving the illicit trade more important than saving the burden on our healthcare system to the detriment of our children?

I would like to call upon everyone - as parents and educators - to support the GEG Bill. The prevalence of smokers and its impact on families and society has long been seen.

It is an innovative move to solve the challenges posed by smoking, through the creation of a whole new generation of non-smokers.

And banning all children born on Jan 1, 2007 and onward from smoking will achieve that. Isn’t that the aim of all the anti-smoking campaigns anyway? Why not make it a permanent solution?

We do not want, in 30 years, to repeat the same problem as we had with tobacco. Let’s just create a greater, better, generation endgame.

Writer is chairperson of Parents Against Vape and Cigarettes

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.