LETTERS:According to investment and economic analyst Pankaj Kumar, the vaping industry in Malaysia has been valued at least RM2 billion, and there is a possibility that the number is higher as the market is fragmented and there is no agency collecting consolidated data on vaping products.
However despite the unregulated nature of nicotine e-cigarettes at the moment, data from around the world has shown e-cigarettes to be beneficial for public health as they have been found to be an effective tool for smokers to quit smoking.
What does this mean for the industry and more importantly, what does this mean for smokers and vapers in Malaysia?
According to numerous international studies, the use of e-cigarettes, also known as vaping, has been found to be highly effective as a smoking cessation tool.
A landmark study published most recently by the Cochrane Review in October 2020 found that nicotine e-cigarettes are a far more effective tool for smokers looking to quit smoking as compared to other products such as patches or gum.
A separate study by the University College London (UCL) — London's Global University, has found that e-cigarettes have helped over 50,000 smokers in England stop smoking cigarettes each year.
Another study from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) in England that involved nearly 900 participants in the research found that in Local Stop Smoking Services, a standard e-cigarette was twice as effective at helping smokers to quit compared with the quitters' choice of combination nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).
Such consistent data serve to educate not only smokers in understanding what better alternatives there are available for them, but more importantly provide lawmakers with concrete evidence such that they are confident to implement policies to support e-cigarette adoption among the smoking population.
In fact, health authorities in the UK have even issued permits for e-cigarette stores in two public hospitals in a bid to stamp out smoking on the premises, while arecently launched initiative provided free e-cigarettes to smokers admitted to the Accident & Emergency ward regardless of the reason they were admitted, in order to also help them quit smoking.
The United Kingdom is not alone. Other jurisdictions such as New Zealand and Canada have also embraced the science of e-cigarettes as an effective tool, thereby implementing specific legislation to provide for standards of e-cigarette products, and ensuring they are kept accessible only to smoking adults looking to quit the habit.
According to a market analysis report by United States-based market surveyor Grand View Research, the global e-cigarette and vape market size was valued at USD 12.41 billion in 2019 and is expected to expand at a revenue-based CAGR of 23.8 per cent from 2020 to 2027.
The market is expected to gain traction over the forecast period, owing to the growing adoption of these products.
E-cigarettes have been around for over a decade now and the technology involved in its design and manufacture have evolved considerably over this time.
Public attitudes towards e-cigarette as well as the available science behind the use of the product have also informed policymakers and regulations around the world.
E-cigarettes were invented to help smokers quit smoking and they should be viewed and regulated as such. Smokers have already been gradually making the switch to e-cigarettes in Malaysia, as a study published in 2020 noted.
This provided valuable information for policymakers in Malaysia to study and consider possible health promotion regulations that will further drive down the smoking rate in Malaysia, that could potentially be implemented alongside the current mQuit programme.
Regulating nicotine e-cigarettes will be the first step to ensuring that only high quality products are available to consumers in Malaysia, while providing a new stream of tax revenue for the economic purse.
Clear and transparent regulations for the vaping industry are also critical to address the issue of counterfeit e-cigarette products that threaten consumers' health and could jeopardise any effort by the government to regulate the industry.
Tengku Aslahuddin Ja'afar Tengku Azlan
President
Vape Consumer Association of Malaysia
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times