KUALA LUMPUR: Regulating nicotine vapes is critical for consumer protection, as it ensures that these products are sold only to mature consumers safely and legally, according to the Malaysian Vape Consumer Association (VCAM).
Its president Tengku Aslahuddin Ja'afar Tengku Azlan said additionally, this regulation would also ensure that nicotine vapes are not sold to minors and would educate and inform the public about the proper use of vape smoking.
"One of the primary concerns in the industry is the issue of underage vaping. VCAM is firmly opposed to any form of vape use by underaged consumers.
"However, this concern has made it tempting for policymakers to find easy solutions that ignore the problem, such as banning nicotine vapes. People will always find a way to purchase their nicotine vapes no matter what," he told the New Straits Times recently.
Tengku Aslahuddin said authorities could start ensuring that vape shops and producers are properly certified to protect consumers by legalising and passing laws to regulate vape products.
"The lucrative vaping industry will only get bigger moving forward as stakeholders in the industry are constantly expanding.
"We foresee severe detrimental impacts if we continuously delay executing regulatory laws on vape products," he cautioned.
For instance, he said while underage vaping has been a hot topic for a while now, the root cause can be steamed out now at an early stage.
"The lack of education and regulation on proper utilisation of vaping as a smoking cessation tool is one of the key factors in the rising rate of underage vaping.
"If we as a nation prolong vape regulation, more youths can be influenced to start vaping at an early age, and it would cause a larger issue in the long run," he said.
Tengku Aslahuddin said vape consumers that utilise it as a smoking cessation tool would also be affected if regulatory laws continue to be delayed.
"The current vape market is full of counterfeit and compatible vape products. Such products are dangerous to end-users as they can contain toxic ingredients such as vitamin E acetate and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and a different percentage of nicotine compared to what is stated on the packaging."
He cautioned that many vape-related illnesses tend to stem from pods and juices that have been sourced from unauthorised channels, which can result in breathing difficulties and nicotine poisoning.
Tengku Aslahuddin said the growth of the vape black market would be one of the key outcomes of unregulated vape products, without proper guidelines on manufacturing standards and accurate information on vaping as a cessation tool.
"Thus, the market remains unregulated and at the peril of people looking to make quick money without any care for proper standards in producing vape devices and liquids, thereby leaving users at risk of highly preventable accidents," he said, adding that the health of vape users who are seeking smoking cessation will be at risk.
He said there had been numerous cases in Malaysia related to the nicotine content found in vape juices being different from what was advertised on the packaging.
"Prolonged usage of high doses of nicotine can lead to nicotine poisoning. There will also be a continued lack of accountability for underage vape usage.
"We are facing a growing trend of vape misuse among the nation's youth. Unfortunately, without proper check and balance on how to acquire vaping products, this makes it easier for younger people to acquire vaping devices," he said.
Through regulation and policies adherence, Tengku Aslahuddin said vaping would be a tool similar to nicotine replacement therapy.
"Without the proper guidelines, we are limiting the smoking cessation tools needed to reduce the percentage of smokers within our communities and hindering smokers who do not respond well to nicotine replacement therapy such as nicotine patches," he added.