Malaysian Health Minister Zukifiri said on July 28 that Malaysia’s Ministry of Health was working on a Tobacco Bill to effectively control traditional tobacco, vaping products and pipe products, especially in the hope that “youngsters under the age of 18 will not be able to use these products”.
Recently, Li Wencai, Deputy Minister of health in Malaysia, revealed that two kinds of tobacco-related products, namely watch shaped electronic cigarettes and cigarette gum (GHOST SMOKE), have been removed from the shelves.
According to the Malaysian Oriental Daily, the popularity of wearable vapes and cigarettes has made local schools vulnerable. Teachers immediately consulted the Ministry of Education and were told that if any traces of electronic cigarettes and vape watches like Uwell Amulet were found, the parents of the first offender would be summoned to school. The parents and children signed a letter of commitment, that is, parents supervised and ensured their children. No repetition; the second offender, students will be suspended for no more than 14 days, multi-time offenders will be expelled out of the school.
Li Wencai reiterated that vapes as a way to quit smoking is not scientifically based. If it is not regulated, teenagers will become addicted to smoking. For this reason, he appealed to parents and teachers to pay attention to the trend of teenagers.
“Nowadays, there are many kinds of electronic cigarette products, such as lipstick, pen and watch. We (Ministry of Health) have talked with relevant practitioners. In the field of electronic cigarettes, electronic cigarettes of watch type have been removed from the shelves. The manufacturer has also agreed to stop the production of electronic cigarettes because of the strong objection and complaints from most consumers.”
As for cigarette gum, Li Wencai pointed out that although the Ministry of Health’s test results did not detect nicotine ingredients, however, the Ministry has sent the gum products to local universities for further tests to understand how to produce products that can breathe out smoke after eating.
