ALOR SETAR: The Home Ministry has recommended that the National Poison Centre conduct a study on the tobacco heating device, or IQOS, manufactured by a leading cigarette company.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (pic), said that although the effects on health of using the device are unknown, an initial study can be conducted in preparation for the government to enact any related laws.
“Even before the vape issue has subsided, the world’s leading cigarette company has already created another [device]. Perhaps the National Poison Centre can start a study on IQOS.
“This device does not ‘burn’, it ‘heats’. The tagline is ‘If you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you smoke, try to quit. If you can’t, switch to our product’.
“That’s their campaign. Whether it has any health effects or not, we don’t know yet,” he said during a seminar on “Dealing with Drug Symptoms and Appreciation of the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) 2025 Recovery” which was officiated by the Raja Muda of Kedah, Tengku Sarafudin Badlishah Sultan Sallehuddin, yesterday.
According to Saifuddin Nasution, unlike regular cigarettes, the device functions by heating tobacco and it is seen as an innovation that poses a challenge to the country.
“That is why I can understand the challenges that await us, but it is the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health to manage other related matters,” he said.
He said the government is aware that the provisions of laws and regulations relating to drug abuse and poisons cannot be static. They need to be dynamic so that they can be adapted to the discovery of new substances.
“We cannot play ‘catch up’ when it comes to the discovery of new substances or new poisons. If we wait for these to be included on the list of new poisons before we start working, then nothing will happen.
“So we suggest that the amendments [of the law] are kept generic.
“But it is still able to cover the actual requirements of the law. If we wait for everything to be perfect, of course there will be room for it to slip through,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said the government had approved RM500mil for the AADK to carry out its essential task in curbing drug abuse.
However, he stressed that the task should not be borne by one party alone. Instead it requires the support of other parties including the private sector.
