PETALING JAYA: Khairy Jamaluddin alleged today that he was pressured by the finance ministry to delist nicotine from the Poisons Act 1952 when he was serving as the health minister but had resisted.
Speaking in his weekly “Keluar Sekejap” podcast, Khairy said the ministry told him then that the government would be able to collect taxes on nicotine products if the substance was removed from the Act.
“I was pressured by the finance ministry to delist (nicotine), but I stood my ground as the health minister,” said Khairy.
“Because the crucial thing for a health minister to do is not to help increase the government’s revenue but to ensure that public health and safety are safeguarded.
“(Putrajaya) would end up bearing massive (healthcare) costs if we allow the widespread (consumption) of vape devices and cigarettes,” he added.
FMT has reached out to the finance ministry for comment.
The former Umno Youth chief served as health minister under Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s administration.
Yesterday, it was reported that three NGOs, namely the Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control, the Malaysian Green Lung Association and Voice of the Children, had filed a judicial review leave application at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur last Friday.
The two respondents named in the lawsuit are the health minister and the government.
The three applicants are seeking a court order to nullify health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa’s decision on March 31 to amend the Poisons Act.
On April 1, the health ministry published a gazette notice exempting nicotine liquids and gels used in e-cigarettes and vape products from poison control.
The three applicants contend that the minister failed to properly consider and engage with the Poisons Board, which had unanimously voted against the nicotine exemption. - FMT
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