Tobacco.org

Student who smoked forced to leave 

IPOH, MALAYSIA - A few months before M. Reuben was to sit the Penilaian Menengah Rendah examination, his father caught him smoking with a friend. As "punishment" his father pulled him out of school. The 15-year-old didn't sit the PMR, and he has no problems with that.

"I'm not disappointed. I consider myself lucky. I would have failed the examination anyway, just as I did the UPSR (Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah)," he laconically told the New Straits Times.

Reuben is neither studying nor working now. He is content just to hang out at home. . . .

Counsellor Nanthini Ramaloo from the centre's headquarters in Kuala Lumpur said almost half of the school dropouts in the country were Indian youths who left after the PMR examination.

"There are books to buy, notes to photocopy and class trips to attend at school. When they can't afford it, they just leave school."

More than half turn to crime when they can't find jobs, which worsens their problem if they get a criminal record, she said.

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Cigarette packs must have graphic warnings  

At least two brands of cigarettes produced by each cigarette companies here must have graphic health warnings as of two days ago.

Forty per cent of space on the front of the boxes must have one of six pictures showing the health effects of smoking. . . .

Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said by March 1, all brands produced by the cigarettes companies here would be required to carry the graphic warnings. Speaking after chairing the MCA presidential council meeting here yesterday he said: "From June 1, there will be a total ban on the sale of cigarettes packs without graphic warnings."

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Cigarette smugglers nabbed at Woodlands Checkpoint  

Officers from Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) have foiled another attempt to smuggle cigarettes into Singapore.

The latest incident involved a Malaysian-registered lorry which arrived at the Cargo Complex of the Woodlands Checkpoint at 10.55pm on January 1.

The driver and his accomplice, a Malaysian, had tried to pass off the loot as a consignment of 1,250 cartons of detergent.

However, ICA officers uncovered 6,311 cartons and 1,875 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes hidden in boxes amidst the detergent packing.

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Tobacco industry faces sales volume pressure 

British American Tobacco (M) Sdn Bhd managing director Jack Bowles expects legal cigarette sales volume next year to be affected by the large tax-led prices and economic downturn

DO you foresee lower cigarette sales in 2009 or will they remain stable?

The overall industry volumes for the first three quarters of 2008, as measured by the Confederation of Malaysian Tobacco Manufacturers, declined by 2.2% versus the same period last year. As a result of the significant excise hike this year, legal volumes will continue to be pressured as the industry continues to take large tax-led price increases which inevitably fuel the growth of illegal cigarettes.

Will there be a marked shift towards the lower priced brands and smuggled cigarettes?

With the current global economic downturn, we foresee that consumers will become more cautious in their spending. Consumers who choose to continue to smoke may downtrade and resolve to buying cheaper alternatives such as illicit cigarettes. Hence, the demand for cheaper, illegal cigarettes will exacerbate the already high illicit trade volume of 24.9%. . . .

As a responsible company, BAT Malaysia will comply with the appropriate health warnings on primary packaging as gazetted by the Government. The Government's objective to implement graphic health warnings on cigarette packaging is to further inform consumers about the health risks associated with smoking. Since the graphic health warnings on packs will only be seen in the market in 2009, it is not possible for us to deduce what impact it will have on the industry.

As for homogeneous packaging, suffice to say that there is no evidence to suggest that homogeneous packaging would have any effect on smoking uptake.

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A real pain 

SMOKING dates back to the year 2,000BC. Through the centuries, people from all walks of life have succumbed to the addictive nature of tobacco. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in the 21st century alone, tobacco is expected to kill one billion people globally whilst its consumption is on the rise in developing countries.

"Smoking has often been wrongly depicted as 'cool', 'fashionable', 'trendy' and in certain societies, it is part of the social norm," said Dr Zarihah Mohd Zain, a 16-year veteran epidemiologist who specialises in smoking-related issues. "In actual fact, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death. The health consequences of smoking are two-fold. First, the smoker rapidly becomes dependant on nicotine. The addictive properties of nicotine are well documented but are often underestimated by the consumer.

"Secondly, smoking causes fatal and disabling disease . . .

Dr Zarihah stressed the importance of getting help and encouragement of family members and friends while trying to quit smoking. It has been proven that a combination of medication and a support programme increases the chances of quitting smoking, therefore reducing the chances of the vicious cycle of relapsing.

The health benefits of quitting smoking are many-fold.

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Concern over 50 youths becoming smokers daily 

The Education Ministry needs to look at the prevention of smoking in adolescence very seriously.

Making the call, Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society (MPS) Vice-President, Assoc. Prof. Dr Mohamad Haniki Nik Mohamed, advocated prevention and said the Ministry must introduce topics or relevant activities to raise awareness among schoolchildren on the dangers of smoking.

"They may carry this knowledge through adulthood and increase their resilience to say 'No' (Tak Nak) to high-risk behaviour, including smoking, alcohol, bullying or rempit (illegal racing)," he said after presenting a paper on Pharmacotherapy/New Agents for Smoking Cessation at the recent Certified Smoking Cessation Service Provider (CSCSP) programme.

He was asked to comment on the increasing incidence of schoolchildren taking up smoking. Forty-five to 50 youths reportedly start to take up smoking daily.

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Just quit smoking 

According to Assoc Prof Mohamad Haniki Nik Mohamed, Head for Department of Pharmacy Practice, smokers not only need to deal with physiological changes but also psychological and physical dependence to be successful at quitting and staying quit.

When you stop smoking, the absence of nicotine in your system will cause withdrawal symptoms. Among the symptoms you may experience are restlessness, fatigue, dizziness and irritability. Heavy perspiration, diarrhoea or constipation, and headache are common symptoms as well.

Learning to deal with withdrawal symptoms is an important part of the quitting process.

Assoc Prof Haniki highlighted the fact that many smokers want to quit, but are unaware that professional assistance is available to overcome nicotine dependence. . . .

In addition, remember DEAD, an acronym for "Delay, Escape, Avoid and Distract". Apply one or more each time you feel like having a cigarette. . . .

This article is brought to you by Pfizer.

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Eco-friendly cigarettes, anyone? 

In a recent joint operation, officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and Singapore Customs (SC) seized 2,016 cartons of "eco-friendly tobacco".

Penalty

Upon conviction by the court, first-time offenders of cigarette smuggling can be fined up to a maximum of 20 times the amount of duty evaded. For second or subsequent convictions, offenders can be jailed for up to two years, as well as being fined. The offenders also face further fines based on the amount of GST evaded.

The vehicles used in the commission of such offence are also liable to be forfeited. . . .

There were warning labels on the foil that cautioned against its removal as the contents were "environmentally-friendly" products that were prone to air contamination.

Paying no attention to the decoy labels, ICA officers continued with the un-stuffing process. Their efforts were rewarded when the officers retrieved duty-unpaid cigarettes in the cargo.

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Smoking taxes the breath 

KUALA LUMPUR: Smoking is the main cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which severely limits a person capacity to breathe.

The disease, COPD for short, is the sixth leading cause of death in the world.

Health authorities here are concerned because COPD is expected to become the fifth leading cause of death in Malaysia if nothing is done to help smokers kick the habit.

Collectively, they spent RM9 million daily buying 33 million cigarettes in 2006, according to the Third National Health and Morbidity Survey conducted that year.

"Malaysia has approximately half a million COPD suffers," said Institute of Respiratory Medicine director Datin Dr Azizah Ahmad Mahayiddin, who launched COPD World Day celebrations here yesterday.

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• 'MPs passed laws against smoking' 

PARLIAMENT is where anti-smoking laws are made, so it should be a place for parliamentarians to set an example.

"I do not care who smokes. Warning has been given and it is illegal to smoke in a non-smoking area. MPs are the ones who passed laws against smoking so they should know what to do," Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said in welcoming the Health Ministry's move to act against smokers in the Parliament building.

A smoker himself, Pandikar Amin said he quit two years ago after watching a television programme. He said he was taken in by what a woman said in the programme: "It is within your control and only you can decide (to stop smoking). I decided to quit and stopped smoking the next day."

On Tuesday, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said he would need the House's permission to deploy enforcement officers to nab smokers.

The Star reported that MPs, the public, civil servants and even Parliament staff were seen puffing away at the back of the lounge and cafeteria although smoking is banned in the Parliament building.

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No-Smoking: Dewan Rakyat Speaker Has No Objection To Have Enforcement Officers At Parliament Building  

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said he had no objection to have Health Ministry enforcement officers at the Parliament building to ensure compliance with the no-smoking regulation if there was a proposal to that effect.

"If it is illegal for smokers to smoke in Parliament, then the ruling should be enforced," he said when asked on the matter here Wednesday.

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Cigarette price war 

A price war among major tobacco companies is heating up with players slashing their prices in selected cigarette segments since early this month.

This is despite a stern warning by the Health Ministry last Monday to big players British American Tobacco (M) Bhd (BAT), JT International Bhd (JTI) and Philip Morris International (PMI) not to reduce their prices below the new minimum price of RM6 for a 20-stick (20s) pack, effective by year end.

Plagued by declining sales, high duty import and smuggled cigarettes, the companies are hard pressed to sustain their respective market share which has contracted sharply. . . .

An industry source said: "There is an on-going price war in the value-for-money and extremely low-priced (ELPs) segments, triggered by an initiative to gain market share but at the expense of significant (profit) margin erosion."

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67 issued summonses for puffing in non-smoking areas 

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Health Department issued 67 summonses to smokers, including four women and eight foreigners, for lighting up in non-smoking areas yesterday.

All the offenders were caught smoking in public areas such as restaurants and shops in the PKNS shopping centre, Plaza Alam Sentral and SACC Mall during eight hours of enforcement from 10am.

Caught in the act: Two plainclothes enforcement officers approaching a man smoking at a prohibited zone in a shopping complex in Shah Alam yesterday.

Department director Dr Rosnah Hadis said the operation was the first after the Health Ministry widened the ban on smoking to more areas last month.

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LETTER: Health warnings on cigarette packs won't work 

THE announcement made by Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai regarding the new regulations on the smoking ban and making all the footpaths in shopping complexes, including restaurants and open cafes, smoking-prohibited areas, is very much appreciated.

Even though I was a regular smoker - I still smoke occasionally - it does not mean that I do not support such regulations. . . .

The health warning on cigarette packs will not be effective because most smokers are selfish. Therefore, I suggest that the Ministry displays the maximum compound amount and identify the places where smoking is banned on the cigarette fold instead.

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• Smoking offenders ignore House rules 

SMOKING is banned in Parliament except for a designated area be­­hind the MP’s lounge but asking the MPs and even Government officers to comply with the rules seems to be a difficult task.

Several “no-smoking” signs placed at various public areas in the august House since last year have also disappeared.

Both backbenchers and opposition MPS can be seen violating no-smoking rules. . . .

A source in the Parliament administration said even enforcement officers from the Health Ministry did not dare come to issue compounds.

“How do you tell a minister or an MP not to smoke ?” an officer asked

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