In recent news, several organizations in Malaysia are calling on the Ministry of Health to reclassify nicotine and e-liquid as toxic substances, and impose stricter penalties on students caught smoking on school premises.
On the other hand, the Minister of Health, Dr Zaliha Mustafa, revealed in parliament that the removal of these two substances from the list of controlled drugs is a step towards taxing e-cigarettes and nicotine-containing e-liquids.
According to the President of educational group PAGE, Noor Azimah, schools should treat smokers and e-cigarette users equally and impose strict community service penalties on those who smoke on school grounds. Parents and retailers should also be subject to the same penalties. Numerous organizations, including the Malaysian Medical Association, have been urging for nicotine and e-liquid to be reclassified as poison under the Poison Act as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, the “Smoke Control Products Act” pertaining to public health has been postponed in parliament due to the need to handle government affairs.
