Student's seizure in school toilet sparks renewed vape ban calls

New Straits Times

22-04-2025

GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) has renewed its call to the Health Ministry to impose a total ban on the sales of vapes and e-cigarettes, citing their contribution to increasing social issues among students.
This follows yesterday's incident where a Form Three student from a school on the outskirts of Kangar was rushed to the Tuanku Fauziah Hospital after reportedly suffering a seizure, believed to have been triggered by vaping.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the student had been vaping in the school toilet with friends.
However, the specific type of vape device used has yet to be identified by medical staff.
CAP senior education officer and anti-smoking activist N.V. Subbarow also urged the ministry to take heed of what Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay had to say on vaping.
According to him, Ayob said state governments could take action to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes or vapes, which are now contributing to the abuse of new synthetic drugs.
He said the growing trend of schoolchildren, some as young as 13, being found using vapes containing drug-related substances was an issue that, if left unchecked, could pose a new national threat.
Subbarow said CAP had seen many young people falling into the trap of e-cigarettes and HTPs (Heated Tobacco Products), and becoming addicted to them.
He said the liquid used in these items contained many harmful chemicals, such as nicotine, glycerine, glycol and propylene, which can cause respiratory illnesses, lung cancer and heart damage.
"We call on the government to take action. We also call on educators, parents, carers and the community to continue to educate the children about the risks of vaping.
"More delay in imposing a total ban on these items means more vape injury incidents in schools, as seen in Kangar yesterday.
"The ministry should not practice the wait and see on attitude on this issue. Do not play with the students' lives," he told the New Straits Times.
Elaborating, Subbarow said e-cigarettes also carried the risk of leaking and exploding, which could cause serious burns.
He said during CAP's anti-vape, e-cigarettes and smoking talk programmes, it was found that many students were addicted to this culture.
He said CAP was conducting counselling for students who confessed to being addicted.
"Even though students are bared from bringing these items but they still continue to do so using various tactics.
"CAP's survey found that many students use toilets as their smoking and vaping area.
"This was confirmed from yesterday's case in Kangar. In another incident in March last year, a Form Two student at a secondary school in the Kangar district injured his leg after falling from the first floor roof of the school building. The incident is believed to have been caused by the student becoming delusional after smoking a vape he brought to school.
"It is pointless to punish students who vape in the school. We need a total ban of the items. If nobody sells them, there will be no issue," he added, noting that many teachers had reported that vaping had a significant impact on students' behaviour and was disruptive to the learning environment.