The Health Ministry plans to formulate new laws related to tobacco, electronic cigarettes or vapes, and shishas, says Deputy Health Minister Dr Hilmi Yahaya.

He said the law on the matter is not strong at the moment because it is regulated under the Food Act 1983 (Control of Tobacco Product (Amendment) Regulations 2011).

According to him in terms of health, inhaling vapes is as dangerous as smoking cigarettes or shishas, and smoking shishas for an hour is equivalent to smoking 150 cigarettes.

“Vapes also have their dangers. Cigarettes have 87 substances that can cause cancer... vapes have ‘propylene glycol’ in the liquid, which when burned using the battery, will heat up. This can also cause cancer. Smoking vapes and cigarettes are both dangerous,” he told reporters today.

Dr Hilmi said the Health Ministry is in discussions with the relevant parties on the measures to control smoking these substances to ensure that the decision is fair to all parties.

- Bernama