KUALA LUMPUR — The Home Ministry (KDN) has urged the National Poison Centre to investigate IQOS, a tobacco heating device from a major cigarette company, as authorities grapple with the health risks of emerging products.
Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the device, which heats rather than burns tobacco, presents a regulatory challenge, with its long-term health impact still unknown. An initial study could help the government prepare for potential legislation.
“Even before the vape issue has subsided, the world’s leading cigarette company has already created another (device). Perhaps what the National Poison Centre can also start detecting is IQOS.
“This device does not ‘burn’, it ‘heats’. The tagline is ‘If you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you smoke, try to quit. If you can’t, switch to our product.’ That’s their campaign. Whether it has any health effects or not, we don’t know yet,” Bernama quoted Saifuddin saying at the Seminar on Dealing with Drug Symptoms and Appreciation of the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) 2025 Recovery, in Alor Setar, Kedah, today. The event was officiated by the Raja Muda of Kedah, Tengku Sarafudin Badlishah Sultan Sallehuddin.
Saifuddin stressed that laws governing drugs and poisons must be flexible. Waiting for new substances to be officially classified could leave regulatory gaps, he said.
He further noted that the government has approved RM500 million for AADK to combat substance abuse through prevention, rehabilitation, and enforcement efforts. This funding, he stressed, demonstrates a serious commitment to tackling evolving drug and tobacco challenges.
Saifuddin said that the responsibility to combat abuse does not lie on the government alone, but rather requires the support of other stakeholders, including the private sector and the public.— November 23, 2025