Don’t delay law that protects minors

THERE should be no slack in the government’s resolve to raise awareness among the young about the potential dangers of vaping and ecigarette addiction.

Parents and educators should also be made aware of the dangers that vaping and smoking ecigarettes pose to this vulnerable group now and in the future.

Many ecigarettes contain nicotine, which can affect brain development, particularly in adolescents, and lead to long-term addiction.

Ecigarettes emit aerosols containing harmful chemicals, including formaldehyde and acrolein, and volatile organic compounds, which can cause respiratory problems and lung damage.

Exposure to nicotine can harm parts of the brain that control memory and cognition. This will eventually affect the adolescent’s academic performance and life as an adult.

The ecigarette industry has evolved rapidly, and the market is now flooded with a wide range of products, including counterfeit and poorly manufactured ones. These can intensify the ill effects on health.

The authorities must also be aware that besides these dangers to one’s health, well-being and future, healthcare costs will spiral in later years.

So why delay the passing of the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023, which was introduced almost a year ago?

The government has exempted nicotine as a controlled substance under the Poisons Act as a measure to tax vape liquids.

Won’t this contradict the proposed generational end game, which aims to ban smoking to anyone born in 2007 onwards? Money derived from this tax would most probably be used to handle the health hazards associated with smoking and vaping.

Civil society has been very vocal in calling for MPs to expedite the passage of the Bill, and rightly so.

Referring it to the Parliamentary Special Select Committee will only delay the passage of legislation that would also regulate the sale of cigarettes and vape products to minors.

TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE

Kuala Lumpur