Task force to focus on curbing sale of vape products to school students

PUTRAJAYA, June 28 (Bernama) -- The task force set up to tackle the vaping and e-cigarette issue will focus on, among others, efforts to check the sale of such products to school students, said Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye.

He said there were still many online promotions on vape products and e-cigarettes targeted at students although various efforts had been made to shut down such websites.

"The trend of selling vape products and e-cigarettes to school children is worrying.

"Therefore we are using this task force to study how to control the use of such products among those aged below 18 in particular,” he told reporters after presenting excellent service awards to 81 staff of the National Cancer Institute here today.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad yesterday announced the setting up of the task force, headed by his deputy Dr Lee, to find ways to control the use of e-cigarettes or vaping.

Dr Lee said the task force would start work soon and draw up laws to control vaping and e-cigarettes, with the bills expected to be tabled by the end of this year or early next year.

Meanwhile, Dr Lee said studies conducted by the National Cancer Society of Malaysia between April 1 and 17, 2019 at 173 eateries in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya showed that most people observed the smoking ban at gazetted places.

"The number of smokers who registered to quit smoking at the jomquit.moh.gov.my website increased to 580 between January and April 2019, compared to an average of 428 people for the previous years,” he said.

-- BERNAMA