KUALA LUMPUR (July 29): myNEWS Retail Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MyNews Holdings Bhd, said revenues for over 500 of its outlets will be affected if the Control of Tobacco Product and Smoking Bill 2022 is approved.

The Bill will make it illegal for people born in 2007 and onwards to smoke, buy or possess any type of tobacco product like vape.

In a statement on Friday (July 29), the convenience store operator said it has appealed to all members of Parliament to re-evaluate their decision to approve the Bill, which was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat for its first reading on Tuesday (July 26).

It warned that the ban on tobacco use among those born in 2007 and beyond will drive them towards the illegal market, making consumption of the product among this group harder to control in the long term.

“We believe this ban will fuel the growth of illegal cigarettes even more. With a market share of over 60%, the enforcement agencies are already struggling to stop the illegal cigarette trade. A total ban allows the smuggling syndicates to control the entire market. Will the enforcement agencies be able to stop this? The ultimate beneficiary of this ban will be the criminal syndicates,” it said.

myNEWS Retail added that it will be challenging to implement the ban as retailers or end sellers are entirely responsible for complying with the new rule.

“We will need to ask for the buyer’s identification card to ensure that the buyer meets the age criteria to buy cigarettes. This contradicts the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA), and not everybody is comfortable sharing their personal information with strangers,” it said, adding that it is a time-consuming process which means the company may have to employ more people.

“To make it worse for our industry, Section 17 disallows those born after 2007 opportunities to work with us. Section 17 of the Bill spelt out the penalties for those born in 2007 and beyond for possessing tobacco products even though they are not smoking it.

“Young workers are essential for the sustainability of our industry. myNEWS Retail Sdn Bhd expresses great concern about the heavy penalties of minimum RM20,000 if we fail to comply with the extreme Bill,” it added.

Moreover, it was disheartened that it was not invited to give its opinions on the Bill.

myNEWS Retail said the government should focus on educating the future generation on cigarette and tobacco harm reduction before implementing new laws restricting their freedom of choice.

According to the Bill, those born on Jan 1, 2007 onwards face a fine of up to RM5,000 if they are convicted of purchasing tobacco products, smoking substances, substitute tobacco products or smoking devices.

The Bill also proposes that the sale and gifting of these products be banned to those born from Jan 1, 2007 onwards as well. Those found in violation may face a fine of up to RM10,000 or a jail term of not more than two years, or both, if found guilty.