View source for Smoking in Malaysia

{{Short description|Overview of smoking in Malaysia}}
{{update|date=January 2019}}
'''Smoking in Malaysia''' was first dealt with in legislation requiring a general [[Tobacco packaging warning messages|warning message]] on all [[Malaysia]]n [[cigarette]] packaging in 1976. [[Smoking ban]]s in public places started to be implemented in the 1980s. Selling of cigarettes to persons under the age of 18 has been forbidden since May 14, 1994. [[Tobacco advertising]] was outlawed  in 2003;  since January 1995, showing cigarette packaging in advertisements had been forbidden, and [[print media]] advertising had been restricted to only one page.

Malaysia is ranked 78th in [[List of countries by cigarette consumption per capita|per capita cigarette consumption]], with an average of 441.2  cigarettes smoked per person aged 15 or older annually.

Smoking doubled between the 1970s and 1995.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.who.int/tobacco/media/en/Malaysia.pdf |title=Archived copy |website=www.who.int |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040529194729/http://www.who.int/tobacco/media/en/Malaysia.pdf |archive-date=29 May 2004 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Smoking is technically banned in hospitals/clinics, airports, public lifts and toilets, air-conditioned restaurants, public transport, government premises, educational institutions, petrol stations, [[Internet cafe]]s, shopping complexes and private office spaces with central air-conditioning; however, enforcement is an issue and is often very lax, many simply ignore the rule.<ref name="smoking ban">{{cite web
 |url         = http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/6/17/nation/18052672&sec=nation
 |title       = Smoking ban to be extended
 |work   = The Star
 |date        = June 17, 2007
 |access-date  = 21 August 2010
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110622040833/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2007%2F6%2F17%2Fnation%2F18052672&sec=nation
 |archive-date = 22 June 2011
 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.seatca.org/upload_resource/%7B9285BDD5-8E92-4215-9FCE-A31CD321BC7A%7D_Malaysia%20Report%20Card.pdf Status Of Tobacco Use And Its Control - Malaysia Report Card] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205124502/http://www.seatca.org/upload_resource/%7B9285BDD5-8E92-4215-9FCE-A31CD321BC7A%7D_Malaysia%20Report%20Card.pdf |date=2009-02-05 }}</ref>

Starting 1 June 2010, it is an offence to smoke at private office spaces with central air-conditioning. Smokers flouting the ban may be fined up to RM10,000, or two years of imprisonment.<ref name="office ban">{{cite web
 |url         = http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/6/1/nation/6374646&sec=nation
 |title       = No more puffing away at work
 |work   = The Star
 |date        = June 1, 2010
 |access-date  = 21 August 2010
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110622040903/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2010%2F6%2F1%2Fnation%2F6374646&sec=nation
 |archive-date = 22 June 2011
 }}</ref>

At September 2016, the [[Ministry of Health (Malaysia)|Ministry of Health of Malaysia]] aims to reduce numbers of smokers in Malaysia for over 15% as about 3 billion MYR was spent due to the increasing of chronic [[cancer]].<ref name="TheStar23092016">{{cite web|title=Ministry targets 15% fewer smokers by 2025 - Nation {{!}} The Star Online|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/09/23/ministry-targets-15-percent-fewer-smokers-by-2025/|publisher=The Star Malaysia|accessdate=23 September 2016}}</ref>

As of 1 January 2019, it is illegal to smoke in all restaurants and eateries in Malaysia. Additionally, owners of restaurants who fail do not display a no-smoking fine can face fines of up to RM3,000, or a prison sentence of six months.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/law/foreign-news/article/malaysia-ban-on-smoking-in-all-eateries-comes-into-effect/|title=Malaysia: Ban on Smoking in All Eateries Comes into Effect {{!}} Global Legal Monitor|last=Buchanan|first=Kelly|date=2019-01-17|website=www.loc.gov|access-date=2020-03-31}}</ref>

==Prevalence==
Out of Malaysia's 32 million population, the number of smokers is estimated to be 7 million or 21.8 percent.

==Illegal cigarettes issue==
Malaysia has now set the minimum price for legitimate cigarettes, which as of 2016, is MYR 17 and must have at least 20 sticks. Illicit cigarettes, however, can be sold at a lower price and can have fewer than 20 sticks in each pack. The number of legal cigarettes has declined due to illicit cigarettes since its peak in 2003.<ref>{{cite news|last=Su-Lyn|first=Boo|title=Illegal smokes spike after price hike|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2015/07/30/cigarette-retail-up-rm9-from-aug-1|accessdate=21 June 2016|newspaper=Nation|date=30 July 2015}}</ref>

==Trans-Pacific Partnership lobby==
In 2013, Malaysia proposed exempting tobacco from the [[Trans-Pacific Partnership]]'s trade protections.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2015/10/it-just-got-a-lot-harder-for-big-tobacco-to-defend-itself-trans-pacific-partnership/|title=It Just Got a Lot Harder for Big Tobacco to Defend Itself|first=Sarah|last=Zhang|magazine=wired.com}}</ref>

==References==
<references />

==See also==
*[[List of smoking bans]]
*[[Plain tobacco packaging]]
{{Malaysia topics}}
{{Smoking by country|state=expanded}}

[[Category:Smoking in Malaysia| ]]
[[Category:Smoking by country|Malaysia]]
[[Category:Law of Malaysia]]
[[Category:Health in Malaysia]]