Malaysian Medical Association Says Health Minister Was Reluctant to Sign Nicotine Exemption Bill

According to reports today, on April 9, foreign media said that Malaysian Health Minister Dr. Zaliha Mustafa admitted to the Malaysian Medical Association that the government’s decision to exempt nicotine from the Poisons Act 1952 in order to tax e-cigarette e-liquid was not an ideal situation, as the bill regulating the sale of smoking products has not yet been passed.

MMA President Dr. Muruga Raj Rajathurai said Dr. Zaliha acknowledged this during a meeting with the MMA on April 6, and also revealed that she signed the exemption with a heavy heart.

The Malaysian Pharmacists Society, the National Cancer Society of Malaysia, the Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control, and Ministry of Health officials also attended the meeting to explain the government’s position on the matter.

However, Dr. Muruga said the MMA still considers the minister’s explanation unacceptable, despite her remarks.

He argued that the government could have waited another month or two until the Control of Tobacco Product and Smoking Bill 2022 was tabled and passed before granting the exemption.

“Health concerns must come first,” he said in a statement yesterday (April 7). “There is no use crying over spilled milk now. The horse has already bolted, but the government must be accountable for this decision.”

The decision to remove nicotine from the list of controlled substances under the Poisons Act means that e-liquid and gels used in e-cigarettes can now be sold legally and openly to anyone, including children of any age, regardless of nicotine content.

Dr. Muruga stressed that the government needs to demonstrate its commitment to the Generational End Game (GEG) policy, which aims to prevent the sale and use of all smoking materials, including electronic cigarettes and e-cigarette products, to people born after January 1, 2007.

He pointed out that the country cannot delay addressing e-cigarette addiction.

“All the tax revenue collected from the e-cigarette industry may not even be enough to cover the medical costs of treating health problems caused by e-cigarette addiction.”

On April 1, the Ministry of Health published a gazette notification stating that nicotine liquids and gels used in e-cigarettes and e-cigarette products had been exempted from poison control.

Following this, the Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control accused Dr. Zaliha of using her ministerial powers to override the Poisons Board, which had voted against exempting nicotine liquids and gels from the Poisons Act.