Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy said there was a massive gap in existing legislation regarding the marketing and sale of products containing nicotine, especially vape and e-cigarettes.

“By removing nicotine from the scheduled list of controlled substances, and with no alternative or replacement regulation, this move would remove any possibility of even attempting to regulate the nicotine content of these products,” the centre’s CEO, Azrul Khalib said.

Compared to other countries where vape products were regulated and taxed, Azrul said, the nicotine content of vape products available in Malaysia was the highest.

“In the UK, Europe, US and Indonesia, the maximum strength permitted is only 20mg, or 2%.

“However, in Malaysia, vape liquids in a single disposable vape are available in concentrations of 3% to 5%. Disposable vapes with 5% nicotine are easily available in this country for RM10 to RM20,” he said, in a statement today.

As such, he said, removing liquid or gel nicotine from the Poisons Act would exacerbate Malaysia’s nicotine addiction problem.

“Vapers will find that though they may have stopped smoking cigarettes, their addiction has transferred to e-cigarettes and vape.

“Some will be dual users, where they smoke both tobacco and e-cigarettes. ‘Stop Smoking’ clinics are already seeing patients who are smoking cigarettes and vaping.”

Yesterday, pharmacists and doctors sounded the alarm over the proposed move to drop nicotine from the Poisons Act 1952.

The Malaysian Pharmacists Society said it would send the “wrong message to the public”, while the Malaysian Medical Association expressed concern that the exemption would see children becoming addicted to the substance.

Last month, the health ministry said it aimed to retable the GEG bill in the “near future” so enforcement can begin in 2024.