Health Ministry: No evidence vaping is a safe way to help stop smoking

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The Health Ministry stresses that it has not found any evidence or study which shows that the usage of vape and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarette) is safe to treat smoking addiction.

Its Deputy Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye (pic) said the ministry also did not receive any information that vape liquids are safe and did not have any long-term effects on the lungs.

"We understand the vape industry is important as it gives employment opportunities to youths. But we have to balance it against its impact on (public) health.

"If we look at the existing data, there is a possibility that vape is not safe as a replacement for cigarettes as claimed. But so far there is no proof that vape is effective to replace cigarettes," he said during Oral Question and Answer Session at Dewan Rakyat Wednesday (Oct 23).

He was replying to a supplementary question by Mohd Shahar Abdullah (BN-Paya Besar) who wanted to know the government's measures to curb sales of vape and e-cigarette especially to the younger generation.

Dr Lee said the ministry has set up a special committee in efforts to regulate vaping and e-cigarettes in June to control its use.

To the original question by Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PH-Masjid Tanah) who wanted the ministry to explain the measures to contain online sales of vape and e-cigarette, Dr Lee said the ministry is cooperating with social media administrators to block social media sites promoting e-cigarettes.

"Various agencies including the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) are mobilised under the Expert Working Committee to Strengthen Control on E-Cigarettes.

"MCMC can block any websites selling e-cigarette liquids which contain nicotine when there is an application by ministry officers who are authorised to do so under the Poison Act 1952," he said.

Dr Lee revealed that 300,000 students aged between 10 and 19 are vape users in the country with data obtained from 'Tobacco and e-cigarette survey among adolescents in Malaysia', a study carried out on students in public and private schools recently. – Bernama