Oleh Nur Zalikhaa’ Zainal Abidin
MALAYSIA’S fight against tobacco is entering a troubling new phase. While the country has made commendable progress in reducing cigarette smoking among teenagers, a new and insidious trend has emerged – vaping.
Marketed as a safer alternative to cigarettes, vaping is gaining popularity among adolescents, threatening to undermine national public health goals under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP).
Medical professionals warn that vaping is far from harmless, saying that nicotine exposure during adolescence can impair brain development, weaken memory and concentration and reduce learning capacity.
More worryingly, it heightens vulnerability to anxiety and depression, while serving as a gateway to conventional smoking and even other forms of substance abuse.
From cigarettes to vapes: A dangerous substitution
The Adolescent Health Survey (AHS) 2022 offers a sobering picture. The proportion of teenagers aged 13 to 17 years old who smoke cigarettes has dropped sharply from 13.8% in 2017 to 6.2% in 2022. At first glance, this is a success story but the decline in smoking has been offset by a surge in vaping. Within the same five-year period, teenage vape use jumped from 9.8% to 14.9%.
The reason is clear – vape products are aggressively marketed with youth-friendly flavours such as mango, strawberry and cotton candy, deliberately masking nicotine’s harsh taste. These products are packaged as trendy lifestyle accessories, normalising nicotine use among students who might otherwise avoid tobacco.
Despite the government’s emphasis on strengthening healthcare systems, the plan does not include explicit targets for reducing vaping prevalence among youth or adults. While Strategy D3.1 under the 13MP acknowledges the need for health taxes on tobacco, alcohol and vaping products, the absence of clear benchmarks for e-cigarettes has created dangerous regulatory blind spots.
This lack of clarity allows manufacturers and retailers to exploit loopholes. Fragmented oversight among different enforcement agencies further weakens regulatory effectiveness, enabling vape products to reach students with relative ease.
The challenge is most visible in schools. Data from Sistem Sahsiah Diri Murid (SSDM) recorded 19,450 cases of students caught vaping in 2024 which is five times higher than the 3,704 cases of cigarette smoking recorded in the same year. This dramatic shift in nicotine consumption patterns underscores how vaping has overtaken cigarettes as the primary addiction among school-aged youth.
Although vaping in schools has been banned since 2015, enforcement remains patchy. Weak detection mechanisms, inconsistent discipline and minimal deterrents have allowed the problem to fester.
New legislation: A step forward but not enough
The Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024, set to take effect on Oct 1, aims to address these gaps. It prohibits vape sales to minors, restricts outlets near schools and imposes strict penalties on teachers and students alike.
Repeat student offenders face suspension of up to 14 days or even expulsion while teachers caught vaping may face fines of up to RM10,000 or two years in prison.
Yet, punitive measures targeting students risk being counterproductive. Automatic suspensions and expulsions could push vulnerable teenagers further away from support systems. A more constructive approach would scale punishments based on severity and prioritise rehabilitation through community service, educational workshops or environmental cleanup initiatives.
Malaysia’s regulatory stance lags behind regional and international peers. Australia enforces a prescription-only model for nicotine e-liquids and bans flavoured vapes altogether while New Zealand restricts sales to specialist stores and mandates strict age and identity verification.
By contrast, Malaysia lacks a centralised verification system and has yet to implement restrictions on flavours. This regulatory vacuum makes it easier for minors to access vape products compared to cigarettes.
To address these challenges and strengthen regulatory oversights, 13MP should prioritise the integration of blockchain and artificial intelligence to deliver end-to-end visibility over e-cigarette supply chains. By establishing a blockchain-backed registry of every vape transaction, recording manufacturers, distributors, retailers and purchasers would create an immutable audit trail.
The establishment of an AI Analytics would enable automated monitoring to detect suspicious purchasing patterns, for instance, bulk buys or underage transactions that trigger rapid enforcement.
Complementing these tools, prevention must also focus on education and awareness. Youth-centred campaigns on TikTok, YouTube, and other digital platforms can counter the glamorisation of vaping. Schools should be equipped with trained personnel capable of detecting early signs of nicotine dependence and providing accessible cessation support.
Avoiding a public health crisis
Malaysia has made important strides in reducing cigarette smoking among youth but complacency is not an option. Without decisive and coordinated action, vaping risks will become the new “normal” for an entire generation. The sharp rise in school-based vaping cases is proof that nicotine addiction is not being eliminated. It is simply evolving.
Amidst concerns over close to 20,000 students having been caught vaping in schools last year, several groups are calling for stronger regulations and enforcement. The local authorities must stop issuing licences for new vape shops and possibly cease existing licences. Parents must be provided with resources to recognise signals of vaping in their children. They should be guided on ways to address these issues effectively.
If policymakers, educators, parents and civil society fail to adapt, Malaysia could face an enduring public health crisis that burdens future generations. RMK13’s promise of a healthier, more resilient society depends on tackling the vape epidemic seriously before it takes permanent root.
Sumber: https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/2025/08/26/vape-wave-the-schoolyard-reality
