October 8, 2025
PETALING JAYA – James has been smoking since he was 12. By the time he turned 18, he was burning through a pack of cigarettes a day.
Now 25, James thought switching to vape was a form of harm reduction.
SOURCE: WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION; GRAPHICS: THE STAR
But just a year after vaping, James realised he was suffering from shortness of breath and could not even climb a flight of stairs without panting.
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“Whenever I take a sip of a hot drink, I cough. My throat has become more sensitive,” he said.
It was then that he realised it was time to quit smoking altogether.
Tobacco is a major killer that has claimed over seven million lives globally, but a recent World Health Organisation (WHO) report found that tobacco use has been on a downtrend globally.
Instead, there has been a shift from smoking to vaping. The report found that global tobacco use fell from 1.38 billion users in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024.
WHO also reported that smoking in Malaysia is forecast to fall from an estimated 23.1% in 2010 to 16.1% in 2030.
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In the report released yesterday, WHO estimated that at least 86 million adults and 15 million minors aged between 13-15 are already using e-cigarettes. In some countries, children are on average nine times more likely to vape than adults.
Describing the numbers as alarming, WHO said more than 100 million people worldwide are now vaping.
Anti-smoking advocates have also noticed this trend.
Consumers Association of Penang senior education officer NV Subbarow said youths prefer the fruity and sweet flavours of vape products.
“Most youths now hate smoking because of the smell. About 80% of former smokers have told me they switched to vaping.
“The variety of sweet flavours, like chocolate and grape, along with the bright rainbow colours, really appeals to the youths and even attracts non-smoking youths,” he said.
“This is worrying.”
Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control president Assoc Prof Dr M. Murallitharan also said the decreasing prevalence of smoking in Malaysia was misleading and could lead to a significant negative whiplash in the future if the vaping epidemic is not addressed.
“Not only do we have existing smokers converting to vape, we have also seen a significant rise in previously non-tobacco users beginning to vape too.
“The decrease in smokers may make it look like we are doing a good job in curbing nicotine addiction, but we are just shifting the problem.
“All these new nicotine addicted vapers will then have no choice but to swap to cigarettes if and when a vape ban is finally announced,” he said.
WHO estimates that there are over four million tobacco users in Malaysia.
Another WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic 2025 said Malaysia was among six countries that have strengthened their smoking laws.