MPS asks the government to postpone the exclusion of nicotine from the Poisons Act 1952
KUALA LUMPUR: The government is advised to delay the gazetting of nicotine patches, liquids and gels to be exempted from the Poisons Act 1952.
The matter was voiced by the President of the Malaysian Pharmacy Association (MPS), Amrahi Buang when asked to comment on the matter on Saturday.
He explained that the new Bill (RUU) on the regulation of nicotine in electronic cigarette liquid or vaping needs to be presented and approved first in the Dewan Rakyat before any exceptions are made.
“I think it would be good if this matter was postponed until the Bill, which should have been presented and approved by Parliament last year. This is an annoyance to us.
“It was stated that this bill will be presented in May, that is next month. What is the difference in two months that we cannot wait,” he explained.
He added that the decision made by the government was very disappointing to MPS, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and health organizations that previously fought for the welfare of the people.
“We and the average community as well as consumers are very disappointed because our call is made for the benefit of the people, especially for the youth and the younger generation of the country.
“We can see our voice being set aside and excluded, so nicotine is no longer controlled under the Poisons Act, so which Act is there now that will control this poison,” he said.
Earlier, the government gazetted the excise duty on vape liquids with nicotine content at a rate of 0.40 cents per milliliter effective today.
The Federal Government gazette notice was issued yesterday by the Prime Minister who is also the Minister of Finance, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The government also gazetted nicotine patches, liquids and gels to help stop smoking, and vape liquids were exempted from the Poisons Act 1952.
