Money saved on ciggies can buy you a car

KUALA LUMPUR: No money to get a car? No problem. Quit smoking.

At the cost of RM17 a pack a day, one would have spent RM62,050 on smoking in 10 years, the Health Ministry’s Jomquit website said.

After one week of quitting, one could save RM119 and buy a meal for a family. After a month, RM510 savings could be used to pay for a car’s one-month loan instalment.

At one year, RM6,205 savings could be spent for an overseas holiday for two while at five years, RM31,025 savings could buy a high-powered sports motorcycle or finance a down payment for a house.

Smoking cessation specialist Dr Amer Siddiq Amer Nordin said with more smoke-free areas being gazetted next year, it would be a good time for smokers to consider quitting.

“There are financial benefits in quitting smoking, especially at such a time when the global financial situation is challenging,” he said.

Dr Amer said the financial benefits were on top of regaining one’s health because quitting smoking and having a smoke-free environment helps prevent depression, cancers, non-communicable diseases, cardiovascular diseases and deaths.

On Thursday, Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye announced that all restaurants, coffeeshops and hawker centres, regardless of whether they were an enclosed area, air-conditioned or open-air, would need to comply with the ruling from Jan 1.

However, on Sunday, Dr Lee said the ministry was considering some requests to have smoking corners at non-air conditioned restaurants, although he was not in favour of this.

Those caught smoking at prohibited areas will be fined up to RM10,000 or face two years’ jail while eateries found to allow their patrons to light up will be fined up to RM2,500.

Dr Amer said with smoke-free eateries, a large proportion of Malaysia’s public areas would be smoke-free.

Applauding the ministry’s move, he said that such areas would help reduce cues for people to smoke.

Some research showed that people tend to smoke again especially in the first month of quitting when they see other smokers, he said.

Although medications could help relieve the physical withdrawals, he said psychological cues from a smoking environment could increase the urge to smoke.

Dr Amer also said that enforcement needed to be stepped up when the law came into force.

Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control secretary-general Muhammad Sha’ani Abdullah, who also supported the move for smoke-free areas to be expanded to open-air food outlets, said such an environment would set a good example to children.