VAPING GAG

Only govt committee authorised to issue statements on e-cigarette

PE T ALI NG J AYA: The government has formed a s pecial c ommittee on vaping to look into all issues on t he use of t he e- cigarette following heated debates over a proposed ban.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said yesterday the committee will be chaired by the ministry’s director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah and comprises representatives from among others, the Disease Control and General Health Divisions.

“Beginning today, all statements on vaping will be issued by the committee and I will not answer any more questions on the issue,” he said after launching the national-level mega community self-help (gotong royong) exercise against the Aedes mosquito here.

Speaking to the media later, Noor Hisham said the committee will convene its first meeting today to thrash out details of the contentious issue.

“The outcome of the meeting will be announced after looking into vaping in detail,” he said, adding that

their main task was to address and resolve all vape-related issues.

“We will consult stakeholders on the matter, especially on the issue of safety and industry compliance with the Poisons Act after the meeting,” he added.

He denied that the ministry’s hard stance against vaping was due to pressure from the tobacco industry, and said it was a matter of adhering to existing laws.

Asked to comment on Malaysian E-Vaporisers and Tobacco Alternative Association’s (Mevta) plans to take legal action, he said it is their right to do.

“But the Act is on our side, our responsibility is to carry it out,” Noor Hisham said.

The Health Ministry had recently raided vape shops to confiscate liquid nicotine, which is considered a harmful drug by authorities.

However, vape proponents have argued that it is a less harmful and cheaper alternative to cigarettes, and banning it will only drive it underground.

In an immediate reaction, the Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs Association of Malaysia (Ikhlas), along with two other NGOs, lodged a report at the Dang Wangi police headquarters yesterday.

Ikhlas president Ridzuan Abdullah said the ministry had caused confusion by issuing inconsistent statements.

He said the vape industry was disappointed with the hasty decision to raid and seize nicotine products in several vape outlets without having discussions with industry players first.