KUALA LUMPUR: Khairy Jamaluddin says he was asked to remove liquid nicotine from the Poisons Act list when he was health minister, but he refused.
"I was also asked to take it off the list so it could be taxed but I said I would only do it if there is legislation that would regulate it.
"I refused to do so because it would pose a risk to public health and that is what is happening today."
He said this after the UCSI University Future Leaders Empowerment Series — Meet and Mingle with Khairy Jamaluddin, at its Kuala Lumpur campus today.
Khairy said the enactment of laws on nicotine-laced products must be accelerated to reduce the health risks to the people.
"It has been a few months since the liquid-based nicotine products were removed from the act. (And) when you remove them without having a new law, they cannot be regulated.
"There is a serious public health risk that we now have to confront without the legislation (on nicotine-laced products)."
Khairy also said the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023, dubbed GEG, should have been passed first before removing liquid nicotine from the list.
"There is no mechanism that can regulate liquid nicotine or vapes because it is listed under the Poisons Act."
"What you need or what should have happened is that the legislation (GEG) should have been passed."
Earlier this year, the government approved an amendment to the Poisons Act to pave the way for the legalisation of nicotine-laced products to allow them to be taxed.
The GEG bill, tabled for the second reading in Parliament in June, was once again referred to the health parliamentary select committee.
The first version of the bill was tabled in Parliament in July last year.
