E-CIGARETTE & VAPE - PRESS

PRESS STATEMENT
MINISTRY OF HEALTH MALAYSIA
MINISTRY OF HEALTH WILL ACT ON ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE CONTAINING
NICOTINE USING THE POISON ACT 1952

Recently, there were a number of references on Vaping made in the social
media as well as the newspapers. The Ministry of Health (MOH) would like to clarify
its stand in this matter.

For the sake of clarity in discussion, electronic vaping device that contains
nicotine will be referred to as electronic cigarette (eCig) while those that does not
contain nicotine will be known as vape or vaping.

The sales and use of electronic cigarettes (containing nicotine) are subjected
by law to the rules and regulations under the Poison Act 1952 and Food Act 1983
(Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004). Thus, the distribution, sales and
usage of these products will be subjected to the above legislations.

Until there is enough evidence that the benefits of electronic cigarettes
outweigh the harmful effects, MOH is very much inclined towards prohibiting them as
stipulated by the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco
Control (WHO FCTC) and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung
Disease.

On Vaping per se (without nicotine) the MOH strongly advise all users to stop
vaping and non-users not to start on this bad habit. We are strongly against the
introduction of foreign substances into the lungs, with unknown long term health
effects, solely for the purpose of pleasure. There are growing body of evidence from
animal and cultured human lung tissue studies that the use of non-nicotine vape
causes harm to the body1,2,3

. This Ministry will not support such unhealthy behaviour.
Smokers must strive to curb their nicotine addiction by getting help from
smoking cessation services available in our health facilities and other professional
organisations.

Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia
Aras 2, Blok E3, Parcel E,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan
Persekutuan
62590 Putrajaya
Tel : 03-8892 4527
Faks : 03-88924526
Email : noraryana@moh.gov.my 

The consequences of Vaping may not be seen until years to come and it will be
too late then to help the unfortunate victims of who succumbed to it.
We are thus calling for the public to emphatically reject Vaping and eCig, thus
protecting ourselves, our children and future Malaysian generations from the dangers
of an unknown lifestlye.

DATUK DR LOKMAN HAKIM BIN SULAIMAN
TIMBALAN KETUA PENGARAH KESIHATAN (KESIHATAN AWAM)
KEMENTERIAN KESIHATAN MALAYSIA
PUTRAJAYA
4 November 2015

LINK

PRESS STATEMENT BY MOH : E-CIGARETTE & VAPE 04-11-2015