THE Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) has been consistent in its legal opinion since 2022 that the provisions in the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill can be challenged in court.

The AGC in a statement today said this was because the provisions contradict article 8 of the Federal Constitution.

“The provisions create unequal legal treatment between a person born before January 1, 2007, and a person born on and after January 1, 2007,” said the statement.

The AGC referred to aNovember 14 statement by former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin which was published on healthcare portal CodeBlue and the New Straits Times news portal.

Khairy was reported as saying that the AGC had approved the tobacco control bill when he brought it before parliament last year.

He also said that the suspension of the bill, commonly referred to as the GEG bill, was due to political pressure rather than legal concerns about its constitutionality. – Bernama, November 18, 2023.