PETALING JAYA: The plan to remove 14-stick cigarette packs from the market will definitely help to prevent youths, especially schoolchildren, from picking up the habit, said non-governmental organisations and consumer groups.

However, the current no-smoking zones should be further extended to cover a wider area.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) secretary-general Muhammad Sha’ani Abdullah said the ban was a good move to deter youths and schoolchildren from picking up the habit.

“There will be a long-term impact later when the Government implements more measures to cut down smoking,” he said.

Muhammad said increasing cigarette prices was not effective enough.

Malaysia Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC) president Koris Atan felt that cigarette prices should be increased five-fold.

“Smokers will definitely quit if it costs five times more,” he said.

He said the Government should ban smoking at all public areas such as restaurants, pubs, bistros, railway stations and bus stops.

“We should do the same as in Singapore and Thailand,” he added.

Meanwhile, many hardcore smokers said the move to remove 14-stick packs would not affect them – for now.

“Many of us will consider quitting only if there’s no place for us to smoke and cigarette prices are too high,” a smoker told The Star.

On Monday, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the 14-stick cigarette packs would be phased out by June 1.

Desmond Liong, 33, said it did not matter how many sticks were in a packet as it was his habit to smoke everyday