Malaysia: No Plan for Plain Cigarette Packaging, Says Health Ministry

The Health Ministry has no plans to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes as has been done in Australia, said deputy minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin.
 
"The Ministry supports the action of the Australian Government in implementing the plain packaging as a move to reduce smoking there.
 
"However, we have no intention at the present moment to follow suit in view of the dispute between the Australian Government and the tobacco industry at the international level," she said when answering a question raised by Datuk Noriani Ahmad (BN-Parit Sulong) in Dewan Rakyat.
 
She said that comprehensive studies carried out by the Australian Government showed that branding and packaging of tobacco products could influence consumers to smoke, particularly the youths.
 
She noted that attempts have been made by British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco, Philip Morris and Japan Tobacco to challenged the legality of the ruling in Australia.
 
She added that Philip Morris had taken the matter to the World Trade Organisation to challenge the ruling.
 
To a question by Hamim Samuri (BN-Ledang) on other innovative ways to deter smoking, Rosnah said that packaging of cigarette boxes was also a consideration.
 
She said the move involved having the entire cigarette box depicted with graphic warnings leaving only a small portion for the brand name. However, she said such warnings was only effective against new smokers and not those who are regular smokers. Enditem