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• Ban On Cigarette Sponsorship For Sports To Stay 

The ban on cigarette sponsorship for sports activities, especially football, will not be withdrawn by the government, deputy minister of Youth and Sports Datuk Razali Ibrahim told the Dewan Rakyat Thursday.

Razali said there will be no change in the government's commitment to support the World Health Organisation's (WHO) global ban on cigarette companies sponsoring any kind of sports activities under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

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• 'Smoking' for trouble 

LIMBANG: 'Kemt' and 'Pally' are names that trigger an anxiety attack among parents here.

They are cigarette-shaped sweets that are packaged like cigarettes. At first glance, the sweet boxes look like real cigarette boxes. Parents are worried that such sales gimmick may eventually tempt children to start smoking.

Ibrahim Tapa, 38, said the products, known as 'Smoke Candy' here, were believed to be imported from China and were sold at 50 sen per box.

Unethical and illegal

This kind of gimmick by traders goes against the government's anti-smoking policy, where millions of ringgit is spent to discourage people from picking up the smoking habit and is making a mockery of the government's effort to create a healthy society."

A Borneo Post survey here showed that several traders were selling 'Smoke Candy' openly.

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IDRIS: Cigarettes: Charge 'em RM30 for twenty 

The Consumers Association of Penang lauds the move mooted by Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai that with effect from January 2010, a minimum price will be fixed for a 20-sticks pack of cigarettes at RM6.20.

However, it is disappointing to note that the price fixed is so low that this will be a futile move if the government is really serious about addressing the fight against the growing smoking epidemic.

In a recent survey carried out by CAP, we found that the sale of 'value brand' cigarettes had increased. We found various brands - some of which were duty-free from Langkawi - being sold and easily available in outlets which sell cigarettes. Some of the brands were imported from Vietnam, Bangladesh and India. Most of these value brands do not even carry the health picture warning.

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'Ban sale of value brand cigarettes' 

GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) has proposed that premium brand cigarettes should be priced at RM30 for a pack of 20. The price now is less than RM10.

CAP president S.M. Mohamed Idris also called yesterday for a ban on the sale of "cheap/value brand" cigarettes, which are priced between RM2.20 and RM2.50 per pack of 20.

He lauded the move mooted by Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai that from January, a minimum price of RM6.20 be fixed for a pack of 20 cigarettes.

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• 'Ban sale of value brand cigarettes'  

GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA - The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) has proposed that premium brand cigarettes should be priced at RM30 (S$12.285) for a pack of 20. The price now is less than RM10 (S$4.095).

CAP president S.M. Mohamed Idris also called yesterday for a ban on the sale of "cheap/value brand" cigarettes, which are priced between RM2.20 and RM2.50 per pack of 20.

He lauded the move mooted by Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai that from January, a minimum price of RM6.20 be fixed for a pack of 20 cigarettes.

"However, we feel the price is too low and will not bring about a major impact. We feel the price should be fixed at RM30 for a pack of 20-stick cigarettes," Idris said..

"Ideally, tobacco should be banned completely. The country should be moving in this direction." yesterday.

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Controlling smoking 

RAM Holdings Bhd chief economist Dr Yeah Kim Leng says as cigarette smoking was an inelastic demand, habitual smokers were unlikely to kick the habit any time soon.

"The effect of a tax hike is that it must be high enough to reduce the level of smoking and deter new smokers. It's hard to deter habitual smokers by increasing price alone," he says.

"The recent tax increase will likely eat into the pockets of the lower disposable income group, who, unable to kick the habit, would definitely resort to cheap or illegal cigarettes. This can result in a loss in revenue to the Government," Yeah adds.

In a newspaper report last month, the Royal Malaysian Customs said illicit cigarette trade rose 11% to 36.7% of the country's total cigarette industry in the first half of 2009, costing the Government an estimated RM1.5bil in unpaid taxes.

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Stubbing it out with cigarette slayer  

Julian Leicester: The 'Cigarette Slayer' shows you how to break the smoking habit sucessfully without too much emphasis on your

PRETENDING to smoke a pencil instead of a cigarette, using a toothpick to keep the hands occupied or replacing your fag fix for fun in the bedroom — smokers have tried almost everything to quit smoking, but in vain. Why doesn’t it work? Despite the mountain of research and money spent the world over to find ways to help smokers quit, a local computer software engineer, who is also a London trained hypnotherapist, has the gumption to claim he has the answer to stop the bad habit.

“My quit-smoking programme has helped many people with nearly 90 per cent success rate,” says Julian Leicester, producing third party endorsements for his methodology.

His revolutionary anti-smoking methods and high achiever training programmes have made him a sought after person by corporate companies and leading institutions.

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Kelantan may reward shops that quit selling cigarettes 

The Kelantan Government is willing to consider giving incentives to any trader or retail outlet that does not sell cigarettes.

State Women, Family and Health Development Comittee chairman Wan Ubaidah Wan Omar said the incentives were in line with the state government’s aspiration to ensure the people did not develop the smoking habit.

She was replying to Dr Nik Mazian Nik Mohamad (PAS-Gaal) at the State Assembly sitting here today.

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Analysts surprised by tobacco duty increase before tabling of budget 

ANALYSTS said they were caught by surprise over the government's move to raise excise duties on tobacco, three weeks ahead of the tabling of Budget 2010.

They said the directive to increase tobacco excise duties by 1 sen per stick to 19 sen came earlier than anticipated. They had thought that any increase would be announced during the tabling.

The last time the government raised tobacco excise duties before Budget Day was in July 2007. Over the past few years, it has typically increased duty by 3 sen per stick.

Analysts said tobacco manufacturers had raised their prices by as much as 30 sen per pack from yesterday in response to the higher duties.

The increase in both excise duties and prices has fuelled concern of a rise in illicit trade.

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LETTER: SMOKING: Stop the sale of 14-stick packets 

I REFER to the report "14-stick packs to go" (NST, Sept 26).

I do not understand why the government has to wait for almost another year, that is the middle of next year, to ban the sale of 14-stick packets of cigarettes.

I believe the proposal to ban the 14-stick packets has been floated for many years now.

Schoolchildren have been seen openly buying cigarettes and smoking in public. . . .

It is also quite common for fast-food restaurants to be located next to petrol stations. These restaurants should not provide smoking facilities.

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Pahang Police Seize RM3.3mln Worth Of Smuggled Cigarettes 

Pahang police seized 15,830 cartons of smuggled cigarettes estimated to be worth RM3.3 million at a house in Lorong Air Putih here yesterday in their biggest bust over the last two years, Kuantan police chief ACP Mohd Jasmani Yusof said on Monday.

He said that based on public information, a police team raided the house at 5.50pm.

"Four men, in their 30s, were wrapping the cigarette boxes in the living room then," he told reporters.

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BAT cigarettes to cost more today 

BRITISH American Tobacco Malaysia has revised its cigarette prices following an announcement made by the government last week to increase 1 sen per stick in excise on cigarettes.

The new cigarette prices, which will be effective today, are as follows:-

1) Dunhill Fine Cut 20s range RM 10.00

2) Dunhill 20s range RM 9.30

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• Spencer Azizul plays on the emotion in anti-smoking ad 

AS this year's Tak Nak anti-smoking campaign enters the final laps, it culminates in showing not just the physical effects of smoking on the smokers but also the emotional toll on both the smokers and their families.

Spencer Azizul Sdn Bhd, the advertising agency tasked with developing the Health Ministry campaign, began the year with graphic ads depicting diseases of smokers.

It has put in more ammunition since July. Spencer Azizul has introduced statistics into the Tak Nak print ads to better convince sceptics and has launched a three-minute TV commercial - the longest TV spot it has ever done.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai told the agency that he wanted the commercial to show not only what smoking did to the smoker but also the effects of smoking on his family and others around him. . . .

Due to its length and budget constraint, the ad cannot be shown frequently, so the agency had to be very selective in the programmes chosen and the periods to air the commercial. It is mostly run during prime time.

Senior copywriter Juliet Tan says now that the ad showcases how families suffer, hopefully the family members of smokers would urge the smokers to stop. "If they get sick, the family members will have to take care of them."

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BAT raises its cigarette prices by one sen per stick 

PETALING JAYA: Following an announcement by the Government last week, British American Tobacco (BAT) has revised the prices of its cigarette brands.

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BAT Can Maintain Performance Despite Duty Hike, Says MIMB 

British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Bhd (BAT) will be able to uphold its performance despite the unexpected increase in excise duty by a sen on each cigarette stick, according to MIMB Investment Bank.

BAT will be supported by its generous dividend payout, the bank said in a research note on Monday.

"We view the increase as a positive surprise as it is the least quantum of increase in comparison to historical trend," MIMB said, adding that the move might slow down the sales volume decline in the industry.

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