KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry should expedite the introduction of regulations to ensure effective enforcement of the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act.
Alliance for Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said he hoped the act would be enforced diligently and that there would be sufficient enforcement officers to carry out their respective duties.
"After the long process of getting it approved in Parliament, it is important that this piece of landmark legislation be implemented expeditiously," he said today.
He said it was of "serious concern" that the issue of vaping among young people was on the rise, based on the results of the National Health and Morbidity Survey released last month.
Lee said while the number of teenagers aged 13 to 17 who smoked cigarettes decreased from 13.8 per cent in 2017 to 6.2 per cent in 2022, vaping had increased from 9.8 per cent to 14.9 per cent in the same period.
"This is a wake-up call. This is a matter that must be viewed seriously that more and more young people are attracted to e-cigarettes.
"There are many students who have taken up vaping. I think that this is something that the parents and schools must take seriously.
"More stringent measures should be implemented to deter smoking and regulate vape products, which I think are very crucial to protect the health of the children."
Lee added that there should also be focus on protecting non-smokers, particularly those who had to inhale secondhand smoke in public places.
He said the government must also look into the sale of e-cigarettes and vape products at eateries and online.
He claimed that young people become attracted to these products because of their availability and flavours.
"If vaping is not curbed, eventually, it will end up just as bad as smoking and I believe this matter must be taken very seriously by health authorities."