Azrul Khalib, CEO of the Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy, told FMT: “Actions speak louder than words. The longer the delay or dragging of feet on this bill, the more likely it is that children and young people are becoming newly addicted to nicotine.”

His comments came in the wake of a report that the second reading of the bill and debate in the Dewan Rakyat had been postponed to make way for other government business.

The bill was first tabled in July last year but faced resistance from several MPs. A revised bill was tabled in June and referred to a parliamentary committee.

Health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa has yet to confirm the postponement, reported by New Straits Times.

Azrul said the health ministry opened a “Pandora’s box” by removing liquid and gel nicotine from the Poisons List, allowing the product to be available over the counter for vape and e-cigarettes.

There were no safeguards in place to prevent the sale of e-cigarettes and vape products to anyone, including minors, Azrul said. “As of today, there are no regulations or a legal framework governing the production, packaging, marketing, sale, and use of these devices.”

He said the delisting of nicotine, without implementing appropriate legislation and regulation, “not only surprised those involved in public health and tobacco control but also garnered international attention”.

The president of the Addiction Medicine of Malaysia Dr Steven Chow, said the bill appeared to have completely ignored the scientific evidence suggesting that tobacco harm reduction could be effective with the appropriate regulatory framework in place.

He said New Zealand and Australia, the leaders in the field, had dedicated decades to prepare for this transition. “In Malaysia, we have yet to embark on meaningful programmes,” he said.