Materia Medica Malaysiana

Government plans to lower amount of tar and nicotine in cigarettes

PENANG: The Government will study a proposal to reduce the contents of tar and nicotine in cigarettes by 25% and 13% respectively, Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said.

He said the move was among several proposed amendments to the Control of Tobacco Product Regulation 1993, under the Food Act 1983, which allows the maximum of 20mg of tar and 1.5mg of nicotine in each cigarette.

“We hope to reduce the level of tar to 15mg and nicotine to 1.3mg in each cigarette when amendments to the regulations are made,” he said after opening the two-day Asean Consultation on the Impact of Afta on Tobacco Trade and Health forum in Penang yesterday.

Dr Chua said the Government would soon extend no-smoking zones to cover places of worship, hotel lobbies and toilets as well as public toilets.

“I have also asked the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry to work with the Health Ministry to control all forms of direct and indirect advertisements by tobacco companies,” he said.

Dr Chua said the Government was keen to establish a Health Promotion Foundation, which would be sustained by “sin taxes” from tobacco and alcohol firms to fund sports, cultural and health promotions and activities.

He also said Malaysia, which had signed the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control last September, was in the process of ratifying it.