Malaysia drags feet on vape ban as youth lung damage fears mount
Malaysia is facing growing public pressure to ban vapes nationwide as horror stories emerge of young people suffering damaged lungs
Malaysians have accused the government of dragging its feet over a total ban on vapes as mounting evidence of health damage, particularly among young people, fuels public alarm.
Accounts of prematurely scarred lungs have become all too common, with users and parents alike sharing harrowing stories of harm caused by electronic cigarettes.
Dzulkefly’s comments struck some Malaysians as yet another sign of indecision within the government, which has been criticised for wavering over the lucrative e-cigarette industry.
Critics say the government’s decision to remove liquid nicotine from the poisons list opened the floodgates for unregulated sales to minors, even as Malaysia has shied away from enacting a ban on tobacco products.
Hafidz Halim, a 34-year-old engineer who has three school-age children, described how vape devices, small enough to be easily hidden, were finding their way into classrooms.