LETTERS: WHAT can be a middle-ground approach to tackle vaping? This means effective tobacco control that transcends legislation and is rooted in education and transparency.
Informing the public about the effects of vaping is crucial to empower them to make healthier choices.
So the tone of the Health Ministry, and in public health issues, must shift from "do not do" to "the choice is yours, but here are the consequences".
The ministry does not have the manpower to police all of us about our health choices, but it can give people information about the consequences of their decisions.
Those seeking help will feel less stigmatised and marginalised to approach government health-support centres, and the government's more open approach will provide the ministry more information on the real issue at hand.
Imagine setting up a ministry centre in a kampung to help people stop vaping.
More people would approach that centre if they knew they would not be criticised or punished for even starting the habit. As a result, the ministry itself becomes empowered to help people.
But education alone is not enough.
The government must use a creep-in strategy if it wants effective regulation.
In other words, don't do everything all at once. Do it progressively.
Those who cook know that you don't throw a lobster into a boiling pot. You put it inside a pot then slowly boil it.
This approach can be employed for all sorts of scenarios.
For example, the ministry can look at nicotine levels in vapes and limit them to an enforceable amount.
In this way, the government can slowly reduce that strength to protect users.
A small reduction yearly can prove fundamental, and more effective, in a five-year period.
If you immediately make the nicotine strength too low, users won't be satisfied and they will look for illegal ways to boost the nicotine levels.
Another example could be in sales display restrictions. The ministry had mentioned at the recent Special Select Committee on Health meeting about introducing a point-of-sale display (POSD) ban.
We saw from the National Morbidity survey that 37.5 per cent of vape users obtain vapes from friends or colleagues. So we know that a ban on display of products may not be effective.
In fact, the fear is that if sales outlets face a POSD ban, the number of users obtaining their vapes from friends will increase because of the increased queues during peak hours and customer dissatisfaction.
This is dangerous as the ministry then loses control. Regulating stores is easier than regulating social circles.
There is also no certainty that those products sold will pass the ministry's vetting for safety.
Rather than a display ban, other measures can be taken. A middle ground-approach is also possible in terms of flavours.
The ministry can begin by allowing only a few basic flavours, then when the consumer market is controlled, it can slowly take away certain flavours.
This is akin to letting the lobster boil slowly rather than shocking it.
As the responsibility shifts away from Parliament and to the health minister, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad is the focal point of how Malaysia can address its youth smoking epidemic.
LEE CHONG KIAT
Klang, Selangor
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
