Health Ministry mulls new laws on tabacco, vape and shisha
GEORGETOWN: The Ministry of Health ( MOH) plans to formulate new laws related to tobacco, electronic cigarettes or vape, and shisha, said Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya.
He said the law on the matter was not strong at the moment because it was regulated under the Food Act 1983 ( Control of Tobacco Product (Amendment) Regulations 2011).
According to him in terms of health, inhaling vape was as dangerous as smoking cigarettes or shisha, and smoking shisha for an hour was equivalent to smoking 150 cigarettes.
“Vape also has its dangers. Cigarettes have 87 substances that can cause cancer...vape has ‘ propelyn glycol’ in the liquid, which when burned using the battery, will heat up. This can also cause cancer. Smoking vape and cigarettes are both dangerous,” he told reporters here yesterday.
Dr Hilmi said the Health Ministry was in discussions with the relevant parties on the measures to control smoking these subtances to ensure that the decision was fair to all parties.
On allegations that there was porcine DNA in vaccines and that it can have an adverse effect on health, he once again stressed that there was none of the substance in vaccines produced under MOH.
Meanwhile, Dr Hilmi said the ministry was willing to help run mental screening on individuals at risk before they are hired for employment.
He said the ministry was ready to cooperate if there were requests to ensure workers being hired, especially former drug addicts were not at risk from the mental aspects.
“Those who have been involved in drug abuse are more likely to take an irrational action that can plunge themselves into a more serious situation,” he told reporters after visiting the family of Intan Suraya Mawardi, 17, who was allegedly raped and murdered at a f lat in Bandar Baru Teluk Kumbar here on Sunday.
In the incident, the body of the fifth former of a secondary school in Teluk Kumbar was found lying on the bed wrapped in blankets by her father, who had returned home at 7.30 pm.
In connection with the incident, police have arrested a 20-year- old man, a school security guard here, who has drug-related criminal record.
Dr Hilmi also urged employers to make it compulsory to conduct thorough screenings in the recruitment of workers who had criminal records to prevent untoward incidents.
“The ministry will help the victim’s family to have counselling sessions soon to give them moral support,” he added. — Bernama