SHAH ALAM – NCIG (M) Sdn. Bhd. vehemently condemns the actions of irresponsible and profit-chasing manufacturers and retailers who target and sell adult-oriented products to youths in Malaysia.
This is in response to media reports of late which highlighted numerous incidents of vaping and ‘cigarette candies’ among school students.
“We view with great concern these disturbing cases in our schools and are ready to assist the authorities, school administrators, and community groups to battle against vaping among youths,” said Mr. Shariffuddin Bujang, Founder and CEO of NCIG.
Among the concerns highlighted in the media reports which went viral on social media, were vaping devices designed as a digital watch which allowed students to bring the devices to school undetected.
Other concerns highlighted included the sale of ‘Ghost Smoke’ candy that mimicked cigarette smoking, and vape flavours that specifically targeted young children, like ‘bubble-gum’ and ‘cotton candy’.
“Such gimmicks are clearly designed to infiltrate youth markets. We at NCIG do not condone the actions of those who make and sell these devices,” he added.
#NotForKids as an industry-wide call to action
NCIG has taken the following immediate steps to ensure that all its products continue to be safely out of reach from minors.
• Stricter enforcement throughout its entire sales and distribution chain to ensure all agents and retailers do not sell NCIG products to minors.
• Continued enforcement of its mandatory ID-linked registration for activation of NCIG devices.
• All retail packaging of NCIG products are being redesigned to carry a much clearer warning label that prohibits sale to minors.
• Strict prohibition of entry by minors at all NCIG retail premises worldwide.
To further underline these efforts, NCIG has jointly launched the #NotForKids campaign which it hopes will snowball into an industry-wide movement.
#NotForKids is a call-to-action for all manufacturers and providers of adult products and services to do everything possible within their power to ensure that they effectively protect minors from purchasing and consuming adult-only products.
As an example, Mr Sharifuddin pointed out that according to a Malaysian Ministry of Health report from April 2018, it was estimated that over half a million students ranging from Form 1 to Form 5 smoked cigarettes, which are also strictly prohibited from being sold to minors.
“It’s about time all industry players take on a more responsible and proactive role to safeguard our youths,” said Mr. Shariffuddin.
He added that parents and members of the public can also play their part in the #NotForKids movement by maintaining vigilance and ensuring children and
teenagers are safely protected from irresponsible parties who profiteer by preying on minors.
About NCIG
NCIG is a Malaysian-based technology company which designs, manufactures and distributes the most effective tool to assist smokers in ending their addiction to cigarettes.
This is part of the NCIG mission to improve the quality of life for smokers and their families by putting an end to cigarette addiction forever.
NCIG views the blatant targeting of youths as going against its long-term mission of providing an effective solution for the over one billion adult smokers around the world to end their addiction to cigarettes once and for all. – Mynewshub.TV
