OVER a decade ago, e-cigarettes, or vapes, arrived in a big way in Malaysia.
The vape industry hailed it as a safer alternative to smoking even without much scientific data on the safety of the devices.
E-cigarettes boomed, with Malaysia reportedly the second largest market in the world, producing and selling e-liquids without regulations.
The Star’s Deputy Executive Editor Dr Christina Chin was not convinced about the new fad.
As countries around the world and within the region began regulating and even banning e-cigarettes, she and her team started documenting the scenario in Malaysia.
“I noticed many teenagers and even students treating these nicotine delivery devices like trendy, lifestyle gadgets – vaping in malls and public spaces,” she said.
Concerned about how it could lead to a rise in smoking, non-communicable diseases and the use of illicit drugs, she wrote a series of in-depth feature and news articles on the topic.
The first series kicked off in June 2015.
“I was writing youth-centric stories that warned how vapes were increasingly being used to consume illegal substances,” said Chin.
Some 11 years after her first package of stories, the concerns have proven true with the use of illegal drugs in e-cigarettes now a serious threat.
On May 18 last year, Chin and The Star team produced one of the most comprehensive reports and the findings were shocking.
Etomidate, originally used as an anaesthetic, was being misused recreationally in e-cigarettes.
Other illicit substances were THC, synthetic cannabinoids or opioids.
The Star was also the first media in the country to feature the first and only National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) school in Kedah which opened in December 2024.
Interviews were held with underaged students undergoing rehabilitation while preparing for their national level exams.
“This allowed viewers to hear the voices of the victims themselves – allowing them to experience the anguish and regret, through the victim’s own words,” she said.
It was among the six print exclusive stories published under the multimedia project.
The exclusive reports further featured data from enforcement authorities (the Royal Malaysian Police and AADK), and an addiction medical specialist, among others.
The Sunday Star cover that day, with the headline “Dangerous Drugs in Vapes” – a deep dive into the hazardous world of vape addiction – also won silver for the Best Cover Design at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards 2025.
Chin, who has monitored official data on smoking prevalence amid the increasing popularity of e-cigarettes, has since written over 30 stories on the topic.
This ranged from the introduction of e-cigarettes in Malaysia to the passing of the country’s first law aimed at regulating tobacco products (Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024).
A year on since that iconic front page last year, the Malaysian government has made its stance clear.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the Cabinet had discussed the problem of drugs and vaping among schoolchildren.
Government spokesman Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said measures to curb the online sale of prohibited items, including drug-laced vape products, would be laid out.
Sales bans have since been announced across several states, while others are mulling a similar move.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad has also repeatedly said it was not a matter of if a ban would take place, but when.
Yet six months into 2026, Malaysia’s endgame on vaping remains obscured behind a cloud of uncertainty.
As authorities chart the next course of action, The Star continues highlighting emerging concerns, amplifying expert voices and documenting the real-world consequences of vaping to ensure the public remains informed about its risks.
