Enact the Generational End Game (GEG) law without delay

Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) urges the government to enact a Generational End Game (GEG) which was adopted by the previous parliamentary special committee. It provides the roadmap to eliminate the social disease of smoking and vaping.

The National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS): Adolescent Health, Malaysia 2022 reveals that “65.7% had initiated cigarette smoking, and 48.5% had initiated e-cigarette/vape use, respectively, before the age of 14”. Globally, it is estimated that about 37 million children aged between 13 and 15 use tobacco and in many countries, the rate of e-cigarette use among adolescents exceeds that of adults.

Among the reasons why children take up smoking are that they do it out of curiosity and also thinking that the habit makes them look cool. They do not understand that nicotine in tobacco, e-cigarette or vaping products is highly addictive and inhaling chemicals are harmful.

To lure children into the addictive habit, the e-cigarette/vape industry is adopting the strategies that the tobacco industry uses in attracting children, particularly with attractive product flavours, packaging designs and colours. In the years leading to the implementation of pictorial warnings on tobacco packaging in 2009, cigarette companies went on a blitz to introduce attractive packaging and innovative products – among them are wallet packs, button packs, slims (thinner cigarettes targeting women), sleeves for cigarette packs, inserts and onserts (advertisement cards the size of a cigarette pack to be inserted within), and festive packs.

At retail outlets, the power wall concept used by the tobacco industry is adopted by strategically displaying visually pleasing products prominently on the wall, often behind the cashier. These attract youths who are more likely drawn to such visual displays than seasoned smokers who are used to certain brands and flavours.

The reason why the e-cigarette/vape industry wants nicotine to be taken out of the Poisons Act is that nicotine is highly addictive and it is the chemical component that ensures the smoker/vaper to continue the habit. It also means that the industry has lifetime users. The government has made a terrible mistake in taking nicotine out from the Poisons Act because, even if the law requires e-liquids for vapes to stipulate their nicotine content, it has been found in studies that product labels do not list the true nicotine content.

Cigarette companies have ventured into producing e-cigarettes/vapes because countries are mounting pressure on conventional tobacco products and thus e-cigarettes/vapes are touted as ‘safer’ which in reality is false as there is mounting evidence that these products are harmful.

The only way to stop creating nicotine-addicted generations is to phase out smoking/vaping products as envisioned by the GEG law. Otherwise, it will burden the country with the high cost of treating diseases related to the habit. CAP has found out that a sizeable schoolchildren population are using vape which is easily available to them either from shops or friends.

We, therefore, urge Malaysians to not fall victim to the social disease of using tobacco products and e-cigarettes/vapes. We also reiterate that the government must immediately enact the GEG law for the sake of all Malaysians. CAP would recommend the public and authorities to read the book “Tobacco Explained…The truth about the tobacco industry…in its own words”[1]  by Clive Bates and Andy Rowell to understand what the industry is all about.

Mohideen Abdul Kader
President
Consumers Association of Penang (CAP)

Press Statement, 31 May 2024

[1] Tobacco Explained…The truth about the tobacco industry…in its own words.
https://escholarship.org/content/qt9fp6566b/qt9fp6566b_noSplash_cf5479bcb22b38bca6c5db7a3ffb9dfe.pdf