Intensify awareness campaigns on misuse of vape, Pemadam tells govt

 

Pemadam said that cigarettes and e-cigarettes served as entry points to drug abuse, with the police reporting cases of syndicates mixing drugs into vape liquid.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Anti-Drug Association of Malaysia (Pemadam) has urged the government to intensify awareness campaigns on the misuse of vape and cigarettes.

Pemadam women, family and cure bureau chairman Jamelah A Bakar said the association was concerned over data showing 43,019 secondary school students were found to be involved in smoking and e-cigarette activities in a recent survey.

“The government needs to consider the spread of e-cigarettes seriously.

“There are business financing schemes that offer easy loans if the applicant intends to go into the vape business,” she said in a statement today.

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In line with the government’s aspiration of creating a generational end game (GEG), the association is convinced that the health ministry will table the Control of Tobacco Products and Smoking Bill that will be the key to controlling the spread of vape and cigarettes.

Deputy health minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni was reported to have said that screening conducted on 1.3 million secondary school students under the Oral Health Without Cigarette Smoke (Kotak) survey last year revealed that 43,019 students were involved in smoking.

Jamelah also said that cigarettes and vape, or e-cigarettes, served as entry points to drug abuse, with the police narcotics department reporting cases of syndicates mixing drugs into vape liquid.

“Ketamine, magic mushrooms, cannabis extract or syabu are hidden in fruity, creamy or free base flavours.

“This clearly shows that e-cigarettes have the potential to be misused with various dangerous drugs,” she said.

She believed that measures to create the legal bill could solve tax policy issues as the products would be comprehensively monitored, along with promotional and advertising activities.

At the Dewan Rakyat sitting today, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim gave assurances that the bill relating to the control of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, would be tabled during the Dewan Rakyat sitting in May. - FMT