By: Syarah Ismahani, Nurul Adilah Binti Muhammed Rizaki, Aina Munirah Binti Abdul Latif
As Malaysian youth, we share a deep aspiration for our nation to be a regional leader in safeguarding public health and ending nicotine addiction. There was a time when Malaysia stood at the forefront of bold tobacco control, when the Generational Endgame (GEG) was introduced as a promising bold step so that young people would not fall into addiction anymore. It made us hope that we’ll witness the day when we won’t see tobacco and nicotine products anywhere in Malaysia.
Today, as we navigate a rapidly changing health landscape, we collectively look closely at how to strengthen protection against the proliferation of these products. We ask a pertinent question: how did our country that once moved toward phasing out nicotine products end up struggling to contain them at all?
The Generational Endgame Delayed
At the core of this gap is the delay of the Generational Endgame (GEG) which was introduced as a bold attempt to phase out access to tobacco and nicotine for those born after 2007. It was a promise that Malaysia could gradually end nicotine addiction starting with our generation and those who will come after us.
However, Malaysian youths were left disappointed when the original vision of the GEG was softened, delayed, and eventually removed from implementation. As young people who once saw the policy as a historic step forward, we continue to seek a clearer explanation as to why such a major public health commitment could not be fully carried through despite being so close to adoption and implementation.
Now, we are confronted with the consequences of this delay as we see the normalization of vape culture amongst our peers, the ease of access, and the continued targeting of youth through fruity flavors, colourful packaging, and digital advertising ecosystems.
Regional Alignments and Public Health Trajectories
We are witnessing a critical turning point in Malaysia’s public health history. While 8 out of 11 ASEAN countries have banned Electronic Smoking Devices (ESDs) and nicotine products, Malaysian youths are locked in a battle against their aggressive proliferation.
For years, regulatory delays have inadvertently created an environment where nicotine and vape products became increasingly normalized and accessible among Malaysian youths. The time for half-measures has passed; our nation must transition from merely regulating these hazards to eliminating them entirely.
The Cost of Regulatory Compromise
This health crisis is not a sudden phenomenon, but rather the consequence of hidden corporate maneuvering. Many youths and public health advocates were alarmed by the removal of liquid nicotine from the Poisons List in 2023 before comprehensive legislation was fully enforced. This created a regulatory gap where vape products became far more accessible and widely sold until Act 852 was eventually gazetted. Recent court findings questioning the rationality of the decision have further strengthened public concern regarding the long-term impact this period has had on young people.
Today, the consequences are becoming increasingly visible. We are witnessing growing reports of vape-related harm among teenagers, alongside cases involving the misuse of vape devices for dangerous substances such as synthetic drugs and, more recently, fentanyl-laced liquids. These developments are deeply alarming to youths who feel that stronger preventive action could have reduced the scale of exposure we are now seeing.
We acknowledge ongoing efforts by the Ministry of Health and policymakers through the implementation of Act 852 and other tobacco control measures. While the recent implementation of Act 852 has finally prohibited blatant online sales and vending machines, the damage to our health landscape is already visible. With national medical experts projecting that treating vaping-related lung illnesses like EVALI will cost the government an estimated RM 223.5 million annually, claims that the tobacco and nicotine industry offers economic benefit collapse under the weight of the long-term healthcare burden.
Exposing the Fake “Harm Reduction” Narrative
To achieve a breakthrough, policymakers must consciously reject industry funded narrative of “tobacco harm reduction.” The assertion that e-cigarettes and nicotine products serve as a benign cessation tool is systematically contradicted not only by significant and continually growing scientific evidence but also by reality on the ground, where vibrant, candy-flavored disposables are clearly engineered to recruit new, non-smoking youth into lifelong nicotine dependency. By weaponizing localized digital algorithms and placing retail displays inside neighborhood convenience stores, corporate actors have successfully normalized a dangerous and potentially fatal addiction. Malaysian youth should not be viewed as passive data points in an industry revenue report; our lived experiences navigating these predatory digital spheres make us vital partners in designing uncompromised health strategies.
Resisting Industry Interference
The greatest obstacle to a nicotine-free Malaysia remains the sophisticated level of industry interference within our legislative frameworks. The quiet, calculated dilution of the historic GEG provision from Act 852 serves as a stark reminder of how commercial lobbying can actively disrupt public health goals. This overt interference directly undermines Malaysia’s binding international commitments under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
Our Call to Action
Securing a healthy future for all Malaysians demands immediate, unyielding policy measures:
- Enacting a Total Ban: Fast-track the legislative roadmap towards a complete ban on the importation, manufacture, distribution, sale, possession and use of all electronic smoking devices and non-medicinal nicotine products.
- Vigorous Grassroots Enforcement: Intensify crackdowns on the illicit digital supply chains and distribution networks.
- Strict Application of FCTC Article 5.3: Implementing robust institutional firewalls to bar tobacco and nicotine industry from interfering and influencing public health policy forums.
At its core should be the restoration and strengthening of the Generational Endgame framework, returning to its original intent of phasing out nicotine exposure for future generations, while aligning it with broader tobacco endgame strategies that include the phase-out of cigarettes as the next step in Malaysia’s long-term public health goal.
This is ultimately a call to strengthen and uphold Malaysia’s long-term commitment to protecting future generations from nicotine addiction.
About the Authors:
Syarah Ismahani, Nurul Adilah Binti Muhammed Rizaki, and Aina Munirah Binti Abdul Latif are Youth Ambassadors representing Malaysia within a broader ASEAN youth network campaigning to denormalize the tobacco industry. The campaign is led by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA).