Worrying trend as eight-year-olds take up smoking

GEORGE TOWN: It appears to have become the norm for some eightyear-olds in the country to take up smoking, according to a survey by the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP).

CAP education officer NV Subbarrow said the survey was conducted on cigarette use among youth.

He said the survey also found that children as young as five to seven years old were exposed to cigarettes when they were asked to buy cigarettes by their fathers.

“Besides, access to cigarettes is also easy as there are traders who sell cigarettes in single sticks so there is no need to buy a packet,” he said.

Thus, he said children would start to learn to buy a cigarette stick and try to smoke it.

In conjunction with World No Tobacco Day today, he called on the government to be more proactive in protecting young people from continuing to be manipulated by the tobacco industry by prohibiting cigarette use among them.

Subbarrow said the Department of Youth and Sports should be aggressive in providing information to youth on the risks associated with smoking.

“We see the Department of Youth and Sports focusing more on youth talent in sports such as football, but from the standpoint of the dangers of smoking, the focus given is very low.

“This should be given more attention as it is life threatening, not to mention that youth is the hope of our future,” he said, adding that the emphasis on enforcement should also be given priority in addition to parenting which starts at home.

CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader said there were about five million smokers in Malaysia and 10% of them were under 19 years old.

“When CAP conducted a survey in 2019, it was shocked to find that school children were smoking vape and even selling e-liquid refills for e-cigarettes.

“By the end of 2019, there were about 7,000 e-cigarette flavours on the market. The variety of flavours is made available to entice buyers to make it a habit or make them become addicted to nicotine,” he said.

Mohideen said the government should introduce the Tobacco Control Act to replace the Control of Tobacco Products Regulation 1993, covered under the Food Act.

He said that without restraints on the industry, it would be impossible to reduce the RM7.4bil required by the government to treat major illnesses associated with smoking by 2025. — Bernama