KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 28): The government's plan to outlaw the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to those born after 2005 will also include vapes and e-cigarettes, according to a report by freemalaysiatoday.com.

The news portal said the Ministry of Health (MOH) had confirmed that the ban will cover "tobacco products, smoking substances, substitute tobacco products and smoking devices".

The confirmation came after Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin on Wednesday told the 150th session of the World Health Organization's executive board meeting — which is in session until Jan 29 — that Malaysia intended to pass a legislation this year that would put in effect the ban to prevent non-communicable diseases or NCDs.

"We, like some other WPRO (World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific) countries, hope to pass a legislation this year which will bring about a generational end game to smoking by making it illegal for the sale of tobacco and other smoking products to anyone born after 2005.

"Malaysia feels this will have a significant impact on preventing and controlling NCDs," the minister said in his speech at the event.

The MOH announced last November that it planned to table the draft of a new act to regulate the use of tobacco and electronic cigarette products in the first session of the Dewan Rakyat in 2022.

At the time, the ministry said the updated draft would encompass control over all conventional smoking products, namely cigarettes and other tobacco products that are currently under the control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004 of the Food Act 1983.

"The new act will enable more comprehensive control to be implemented, especially on new emerging smoking products that [not only] attract more young smokers which also can pose health threats to Malaysians," it said then.