Health Ministry in move to regulate and restrict e-cigarettes like tobacco products

KUALA LUMPUR - The selling and promotion of e-cigarettes could very well be restricted if the government decides to apply the same set of rules regulating the use of tobacco products to “vaping”, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam has said.

The New Straits Times quoted Subramaniam as saying that such a move would ensure that the use and sales of vaping devices would be off limits to those under the age of 18.

He said the Health Ministry is in the process of seeing how the rules governing the sale of tobacco products could be applied to vaping, adding that measures were needed to prevent hazardous contents from being used in vaping liquids.

The Health Ministry’s concerns on the rise of vaping among Malaysians include the long-term effects of inhaling vapors containing nicotine, formaldehyde and propylene glycol.

Subramaniam said yesterday that the Cabinet has decided that electronic cigarettes or “vaping” will be regulated due to health concerns over their usage.

His announcement comes after another federal minister confirmed today that the government will not seek to ban vaping in the country.

“The Cabinet fully recognises the health effects of both cigarette smoking and vaping. The Cabinet fully recognises the need for greater public health education into the harmful effects of vaping and the need for stringently regulating it.

“The Ministry of Health will immediately implement the above measures immediately,” Subramaniam said in a Facebook post.

But the health minister also revealed that plans to ban vaping have not been abandoned, and will be revisited depending on the success in educating consumers about the risks of vaping as well as the regulations that will be introduced.

He also did not elaborate on what regulating the industry will entail.

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.