Malaysian Foreign Minister vejpade in Parliament
Malaysia and e-cigarettes. It was an almost perfect stealth vape. A puff on the sly that no one sees. But all it took was a short film on Twitter for the puff on a tiny e-cigarette to have dire consequences for Malaysia's foreign minister.
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Malaysia Hishammuddin Hussein has found himself in hot water. During a session of Parliament, another Member filmed him, while the Minister took a puff on his recently acquired e-cigarette. The film was of course viral on twitter. And with smoking and vejpa banned in Parliament, the film attracted a lot of attention.
Malaysia investigates ban on e-cigarettes
The drama in the plenary hall takes place at the same time as The Malaysian government is investigating a comprehensive ban on the sale of e-cigarettes in the country. Currently, vejp products are legal to sell, with the exception of e-liquids containing nicotine. The investigation came after several US vejp users died as a result of EVALI disease, in autumn 2019. This is despite the fact that the disease was caused by cannabis products and the substance e-acetate, which is not found in regular e-cigarettes.
Quit smoking with the help of e-cigs
Malaysia is one of the world's biggest markets for e-cigarettes and a ban would hit retailers hard. But the plans have previously been heavily criticised by several health groups in the country. Because, as in other countries, smokers use e-cigarettes to quit smoking. The Foreign Minister is one of them. And in a post on Twitter, he now apologises for his blunder.
'"I apologise to Parliament. It's a new habit and I promise not to do it again" he wrote on Twitter.
Threatened with imprisonment or a fine
But one angry MEP doesn't buy the minister's apology. He says the foreign minister should be severely punished for his mistake. According to the website, breaking the smoking ban currently carries a fine of between €1,000 and €20,000 or, in the worst case, imprisonment. Planet of the vapes.
Flaring in secret - steath-vape
Stealth-vejpa is a technology that can be used with a low-power e-cigarette. The principle is to allow a small amount of vapour to mix with air in the lungs by holding your breath after the puff. If it works, no vapour will be visible on exhalation. You can learn more about it here:
