It's so bad that a majority of Malaysians want the government to put an end to the supply and sale of the cigarettes.
We don't know why they do not want the government to ban smoking straight, but OK.
Even smokers agree
While many Malaysians enjoy smoking, it’s a breath of fresh air (no pun intended) to know that 93 per cent of Malaysians want the government to stop the supply of cheap contraband cigarettes.
This is the findings from the Malaysian Perception of Smoking and Vaping Survey (yep, it's a thing), a recent opinion poll conducted by Green Zebras Sdn Bhd (GZSB), a leading market research company in Malaysia.
Among those who is in support of the move include parents (93 per cent), teachers (98 per cent), healthcare professionals (97 per cent) and surprisingly, even smokers (88 per cent) themselves!
The poll also found that 61 per cent of those who took the survey think that the government is currently not doing enough to prevent the supply of cheap contraband cigarettes.
Meanwhile, 89 per cent believe that losses to taxpayers from cheap contraband cigarettes amounting to over RM5 billion in 2018 is a major concern to the Malaysian economy.
A total of 1,010 Malaysian adults took part in the survey and the result is reflective of the perception of all Malaysian adults across Peninsular Malaysia.
We have a question though: why not just stop smoking altogether? That would solve the problem once and for all, right?