COMMENT Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam and his director-general of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah are caught in a storm, again because of certain Umno politicians and those related to the country’s most powerful warlords.

It is not surprising that the people behind the so-called e-cigarettes have vested interests in the sale of vaping fluid.

In all fairness, both Dr Subramaniam and Dr Noor Hisham ( photo ) are merely doing their job to ensure that Malaysians enjoy good health.

As medical doctors themselves, they have taken the Hippocratic Oath that no man’s entreaty “shall prevail upon me to administer poison to anyone; neither will I counsel any man to do so.”

It would be malfeasance if they continue to allow vaping to continue in this country. I am in full support of the duo for pushing to ban e-cigarettes and I think ordinary Malaysians should also be concerned about the spread of e-cigarettes, against those who are trying to put Malaysia on world map as the best producer of e-cigarettes.

In my opinion, there are better ways for us to put Malaysia on world map than both e-cigarettes and scandals.

Brand targeted at young

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), vaping has become a US$2.7 billion industry . Since it first appeared in 2006, e-cigarettes have raised a lot of concerns on their abuse.

One has to watch the CNN documentary to understand the concerns raised by one Lt Ozzy Tianga of Broward Sheriff’s Office in the United States. Young people are easily attracted to the e-cigarettes.

In fact, from the marketing and branding standpoint, e-cigarettes, with its colourful and sexy designs, are specifically targeted at the younger generation. If it is successful, its producers may reap billions for many years to come.

But, as we know it, cancer will only develop after many years of exposure to nicotine. It may take another 20 to 30 years before we know the full impact of vaping. An entire generation may end up languishing in hospice care centres, suffering from terminal stage lung cancer. By then, it would be too late, no thanks to those who are actively promoting and defending vape.

Like opium?

If Dr Noor Hisham believes that vaping is like addiction of opium which caused the collapse of imperial China, he and the Health Ministry should step up the education of young people against vaping besides pushing for a total ban of e-cigarettes in public places.

Health, rather than politics, should take precedence. There are bound to be people who have vested interest in the billion dollar industry, but we have to put people’s health as the highest priority.

To those who are already on it, the addiction to vape may last a lifetime. There is no doubt that the industry will continue to grow, but in my opinion, all efforts should be made to ban it.

This may well be the collapse of an entire generation, which becomes too dependent on vape solutions. It will be worse than what some of these Umno leaders fear - the loss of Malay dignity.

As a Chinese, I do not want to see the Malay youths getting addicted to vape. It will cause the nation to suffer when young people cannot shake themselves off from vape. As a nation, can we afford it?

For this same reason, I strong urge the Health Ministry and other concerned citizens and non-government organisations to do their best to push for a total ban of e-cigarettes in public places.

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.