PETALING JAYA: Delaying a total ban on vapes could risk children being exposed to drugs from a young age, says an anti-tobacco activist.
NV Subbarow said drug-laced vapes are becoming increasingly common, stressing that the only solution to curbing this is a total ban.
“We need strict enforcement and penalties. It is destroying the future of the younger generation.
“Drug-laced vapes can also be found easily and pose extreme harm to our children,” said the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) senior education officer.
According to Subbarow, CAP’s programmes in schools also found that children as young as eight are able to identify the names of different vape juices.
“The longer it takes for a total ban to be implemented, the more we could see our children paying the price,” he said.
This comes after Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that drug addiction is now claiming children as young as ten.
He demanded immediate national attention over this critical threat, pointing to an insidious tactic of dealers offering free sweets laced with drugs to lure in young children.
Ahmad Zahid, who chairs the Cabinet Committee on Eradication of Drugs (JKMD), said various initiatives are being implemented to tackle the larger-scale issue, including learning more effective methods to combat drug trafficking, alongside prevention and rehabilitation efforts.
Consequently, he said, enforcement agencies like the National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) must adopt more creative approaches, particularly in detecting drug smuggling and monitoring new trends such as the use of delivery services.
