MELAKA: The Health Ministry is committed to enacting a stand-alone Tobacco Control Act in the near future that will designate all public places as no-smoking areas, with a limited list of places where smokers can light up their cigarettes.
Health Minister Dr Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said it was not his or the ministry’s intention to outlaw smoking, but the move was to ensure the public – especially woman and children – didn’t fall victim to ‘secondhand smoke’.
He said as with any type of change, modification of inherent societal norms involving smoking would certainly not come easy, but the ministry was confident that it could be done successfully.
“Perhaps one day we shall have legal provisions that prohibit smoking near a minor, regardless of where the offence takes place.
“It is always heart-breaking for me to see adults puffing away even while carrying a child in their arms,” he said in his speech at the Recognition and Awards Ceremony for Revolution Smoke-Free Workplace Campaign here, last night. – Bernama
