Killing vaping to save cigarette companies?

KUALA LUMPUR - Local celebrity Afdlin Shauki Aksan has questioned the Health Ministry's decision to confiscate nicotine products from vape shops, saying that such a move was rash and would affect many people who relied on e-cigarettes as an alternative to smoking.

The popular actor also demanded the ministry provide facts to back up its claims that vaping is harmful and not a healthier alternative to cigarettes, claiming that research done by other countries have shown otherwise.

“Just wondering KKM, where are your facts coming from? The cigarette companies?

“Why were there no discussions before taking action? Do you want ex-smokers to become smokers again? When cigarettes are 95 per cent more dangerous than vape?” he said in a Facebook posting yesterday evening, using the Malay initials for the Health Ministry.

“Are you too lazy to do your research? Or do you just listen to what you want to listen?” he asked.

Afdlin Shauki said that if the ministry had an issue with nicotine content, cigarettes and other items like nicotine patches should also be banned.

“Vaping is most definitely harm reducing according to many scientist and doctors around the world. Watch this BBC expose,” he added in the same posting, and attached a BBC documentary on vaping as an alternative to smoking to substantiate his assertion.

The actor had previously embarked on a video campaign urging vapers to support a memorandum by vape advocacy group MOVE (Malaysian Organisation of Vape Entity) to regulate the e-cigarette industry.

In the video campaign, Afdlin Shauki said that vaping had resulted in him quitting smoking for good.

The Health Ministry said on Tuesday it will confiscate nicotine content found in e-cigarettes from all traders nationwide, in a move to discourage Malaysians from vaping.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam said that the ministry is empowered to do so under the 1952 Poisons Act and 1983 Food Act, pointing out that vape shops are currently not licensed to sell any products which contain nicotine.

Concerns over vaping exist largely due to their initial positioning as electronic replacements for cigarettes, prompting fears that the former may be as harmful as conventional tobacco use.

While the health risks of smoking are well established, the dangers involved in using e-cigarettes have not been conclusively determined.

The more apparent risk comes from users jury-rigging their own vaporisers using diverse components and without proper research, as seen from incidents involving exploding e-cigarettes.