It will now be harder to buy alcoholic drinks in Malaysia.

Malaysian Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad announced that as of Oct. 16, the minimum age to purchase alcohol in Malaysia has been raised from 18 to 21.

Measures aimed to warn of the dangers of alcohol

According to the Star Online, retailers are also required to display a cautionary warning that reads ‘Drinking Alcohol Can Endanger Health’ in their stores if they sell alcoholic beverages.

A similar warning is also required to be placed on the label of alcoholic drinks, and alcoholic drinks for sale must be exhibited in cabinets or racks separate from the other displays.

If found guilty of breaking the law, one might get slapped with a fine not exceeding RM10,000 (S$3,312) or a jail term not exceeding two years.

Moving on to another "vice", the price of cigarettes are also expected to increase following the implementation of the Sales and Services Tax.

Dzulkefly said that the retail price for all cigarette brands will be announced within a month,

Previously on Oct. 15, he announced that Malaysia's Parliament building will be declared a "smoke-free" zone.

"No limit" on age for marriage

On the heels of upping the age limit for buying alcohol, another issue of age could be revisited.

While Malaysians now need to be 21 to buy a drink, they can still can get married at a much earlier age.

The law for the minimum age for Muslim marriages in Malaysia remains at 16 for girls and 18 for boys.

However, both girls and boys younger than those ages can still obtain permission to be married, as long as they acquire consent from the Islamic courts.

And that's a law that even Malaysian Ministers acknowledge must be changed.

In July 2018, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Liew Vui Keong spoke of the need to place a limit on the legal age of marriage for Muslim girls.

Said Liew to The Star Online:

"I will look into it and do further studies on reviewing the minimum age because at the moment, there is no age limit as to when a child below 16 can marry with their parents consent.

“Do we start at 10 or even eight years old, because that is ridiculous to me as some of the girls have not even reached puberty."

Liew was responding to a case in July 2018, where an 11-year-old girl married a 41-year-old man from Kelantan, Malaysia.

Progress being made

On Sept. 21, The New Straits Times reported that according to Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the government is in the process of raising the minimum age of marriage to 18 years old.

She said that a Cabinet paper was being prepared on the proposal, and it would be presented to a meeting of Chief Ministers to garner their support in raising the legal minimum age for marriage in their respective states.

Said Wan Azizah:

"Amending the law takes time. While waiting for that to take place, the ministry will meet the Syariah Judiciary Department on stricter and more thorough guidelines for Syariah court judges in approving child marriages.”

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Top image from Pixabay.