Tobacco harm reduction advocates in Malaysia say Malaysian lawmakers must differentiate between smoking and vaping to tackle Malaysia's smoking epidemic.

Lawmakers are currently reviewing a bill that would ban smoking and vaping for people born in Malaysia after 2007. The bill is modelled on New Zealand's legislation that unveiled a plan in December 2021 to gradually increase the smoking age to cover the entire population to phase out smoking.

However, unlike Malaysia's proposal, New Zealand's intergenerational ban would only ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone born during or after 2009, while the 2020 rule would allow people aged 18 and over to still buy vaping products in retail stores .

Samsul Ariffin, chairman of the Malaysian vaping entity, said: "Cigarettes cannot be banned for future Malaysian adults without a safer and viable alternative. It's like banning sugar-sweetened and diet drinks all at once and hoping it will get people off sugar. If our political leaders are serious about eradicating deadly smoking, Malaysia's final bill can only ban the purchase of combustible tobacco, not safer nicotine products.

According to the Coalition of Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates for the Asia Pacific Region (CAPHRA), New Zealand's encouragement of smoking cessation through vaping has led to a rapid decline in smoking rates in the country. The current adult daily smoking rate in New Zealand is 9.4%, down from 18% in 2006-2007.

CAPHRA executive coordinator Nancy Loucas said: "Smoking in New Zealand has halved in recent years, not because they banned vaping, but because they embraced it.

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