KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — The Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control with 45 non-government organisations (NGO) today signed a memorandum to urge the government to ban electronic cigarettes (e-cigarette) or vape in the interest of the health of society.
Its president Prof Datuk Dr Lekhraj Rampai said the widespread marketing and use of electronic cigarettes among school students were very worrying to the NGO which were linked to medicine, health, family, women, youth and children because many students were now trapped in nicotine addictions and duped by the erroneous health messages which claimed that electronic cigarettes were safe for use.
‘’The suggestion to ban the product was made since 2015 but the Cabinet decided not to impose a ban on the sale and use of vape. I don’t know why they did so. Subsequently, everyday newspapers report that primary school pupils are found to smoke vape,’’ he told a media conference at the Malaysian Medical Association Building (MMA).
The National Fatwa Council ruling on Dec 21, 2015 declared the use of electronic cigarettes and vape as ‘haram’. A total of 33 cases of deaths involving the use of vape were reported in the United States with the majority comprising youths.
Until to date, 43 nations globally including Thailand, Singapore, Brunei and Cambodia had taken the step to ban the sale and use of vape without compromise.
As such, he said there was no excuse for Malaysia to continue to allow rampant destruction and harm from the use of electronic cigarettes.
Yesterday, Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Lee Boon Chye, in an oral question and answer session in Dewan Rakyat, revealed that 300,000 students, aged between 10 and 19 years, were vape users currently in the country.
He said the data could be obtained through ‘’A Research On Tobacco and E-Cigarette among Adults in Malaysia’’ which was conducted on students in public and private schools recently.
— BERNAMA
