Report on GEG review highlights differing views on bill
PETALING JAYA: The Generational End Game (GEG) bill is slated to be tabled today but questions linger over the plan as indicated by the views of MPs who reviewed the bill. These views included a proposal to exclude end-users born after 2007 from facing action for using tobacco and vape…
PETALING JAYA: The Generational End Game (GEG) bill is slated to be tabled today but questions linger over the plan as indicated by the views of MPs who reviewed the bill.
These views included a proposal to exclude end-users born after 2007 from facing action for using tobacco and vape products.
There was also a call for separate legislation for vaping, a common theme among vape players and some health experts.
One of the MPs who spoke to FMT, Dr Kelvin Yii, said he proposed the removal of Section 17 of the legislation, officially known as Control of Tobacco Products and Smoking Bill 2022.
Section 17, he said, made it an offence for those born after 2007 to use tobacco and vape products.
“Basically, this is to mirror New Zealand’s (GEG) legislation where the focus is more on the supplier and the seller rather than the end user.”
The rationale for this, he said, was that it could be counterproductive to stop people from smoking as it could lead to smokers looking for ways to circumvent the law.
“But the consensus of the committee is that they still want some form of deterrence for the user.”
Yii said the committee, however, agreed to remove all elements of criminalisation and enforcement powers under Section 17, and to only make it an offence to use tobacco and vape products.
“At most, they can be compounded, and even if they cannot pay, it is community service rather than jail time or criminal records.”
Yii also said there was an “urgent need” to regulate vaping but acknowledged that it would take time to draft a new legislation.
“For the time being, we agreed there is no need for separate legislation now. But there is a mandatory review in two years, and one of the (matters to) review is whether there is a need for different legislation.”
Vape industry players and some health experts have been calling for separate laws for smoking and vaping, arguing it is a form of harm reduction and a less harmful alternative for smokers. — Free Malaysia Today