Phnom Penh: Professor Chheang Ra, Minister of Health, said that tobacco product control is the work of all sectors and the collective responsibility of the entire society.
The minister’s remarks were made during a meeting of the Tobacco Product Control Committee on April 27, 2026 To review progress, strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration, and prioritize next steps to reduce tobacco use, protect people from second-hand smoke, crack down on illegal and counterfeit tobacco products, and prevent e-cigarettes from posing risks to youth and public health on April 27, 2026.
To avoid tobacco products, the professor advised that we must work together to protect children Youth and citizens from the dangers of using tobacco products and electronic cigarettes to build a smoke-free, healthy and safe Cambodian future.
He added that Cambodia has achieved many important achievements under the WHO FCTC and MPOWER intervention packages, including: printing health education messages on tobacco packages, banning smoking in workplaces, public places and advertising bans. However, Cambodia still has an estimated 1.6 million tobacco users, who require continued, consistent and effective mechanisms.
On that occasion, the Minister gave some key recommendations to continue to implement: Tobacco control is a job to protect people’s lives and future, we must continue to educate and disseminate widely, especially to students and youth, we must strictly implement laws and prohibitive measures, we must effectively crack down on illegal and counterfeit tobacco products and electronic cigarettes, and we must prepare a new strategy for 2027-2031.
