Come January 1, 2010 the minimum price for a pack of 20s cigarette is RM6.40 and any promotion for cigarettes being prohibited. From the surface, this move looks good. However, I'm curious, why only on the 20s cigarette? For most teenagers, they usually buy 1 stick at a convenience store that cost around 50 cents. Most teenagers learn to smoke through friends and the easy access to buy 1 stick of cigarette is everywhere if you know where to find. There's a will, there's a way. Furthermore, I don't think a student will buy a pack of cigarette knowingly that they can't bring home or let their parents know they smoke.
Setting a minimum price may increase the price of a stick of cigarette but it will still be affordable for students and teenagers to buy it. In some cases, they will buy a stick to be share among themselves behind the school property.
For adults, setting a minimum price doesn't do anything to stop them from smoking. I'm very sure all smokers will whine about it for a few weeks but they will continue to buy their daily dose of cigarettes. Be it 14s or 20s, the minimum price doesn't make an impact. The poor will feel the impact and they will probably switch to another brand that cost RM6.40 for 20 stick.
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