Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (CU)_ Malaysia has dispatched a legislative team to New Zealand to investigate the measures necessary to realize its smoke-free goals. According to Nancy Loucas, co-founder of the Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy, the visit demonstrates that New Zealand is taking the right measures towards reducing the use of tobacco, legalization, and regulation of vaping.
Officials of a special Malaysian health, science, and innovation select committee plan to have a meeting with the Health Minister of New Zealand and tobacco harm reduction specialists as part of their tour to discover precisely what New Zealand is following to realize its national goal of Smoke-Free 2025. Loucas added, “The visiting Malaysian delegation is a timely reminder to New Zealand MPs [Members of Parliament] to keep focused on the prize—that is, crushing combustible tobacco and not try[ing] to relitigate the 2020 vaping legislation, which is still bedding in and is the envy of plenty”.
According to New Zealand’s Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill, which is currently being reviewed by the health select committee of Parliament, it restricts the number of retailers who can sell smoked tobacco items, focuses on making the tobacco products less attractive and addictive, and bans the sale of tobacco products to anybody born in 2009 or later.
Similarly, the “generational endgame” act proposed in Malaysia would prohibit the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to anybody born in 2007 or after. However, Malaysia’s health minister has recommended adding vaping items to the generational ban, which is a measure that has received high criticism from the advocacy organization MOVE (Malaysian Organization of Vape Entities). Loucas said, “As a percentage, Malaysia has more than twice as many smokers than New Zealand. Hopefully, the visiting delegation will take a clear message back to Malaysia that you can’t achieve smoke-free without providing a safer, viable alternative”.
