Malaysia pushes for strict law to police vapes, e-cigarettes

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is planning to introduce strict regulations on the sale and use of electronic cigarettes and vaporisers, health officials said on Tuesday (Oct 1), as countries around the world move to ban devices that have been linked to deaths and youth addiction.

India, which has the second-largest population of adult smokers in the world, banned the sale of e-cigarettes last month as it warned of a vaping "epidemic" among young people. Public health officials in the United States recommended against using e-cigarettes after 12 deaths and 805 cases of illnesses linked to e-cigarette use were reported.

Advertisement

Advertisement

The global market for e-cigarettes was worth US$15.7 billion in 2018, according to data from Euromonitor International, and is projected to more than double to US$40 billion in 2023.

Malaysia wants to club e-cigarettes and vaporisers together with tobacco products under a single law that would prohibit promotions and advertising, usage in public areas and use by minors, the health ministry said.

"Increasingly more studies have shown vape/electronic cigarettes … are still harmful to human health. Furthermore, vapes/e-cigarettes are still not proven to be an effective modality to quit smoking," it said in an email.

The ministry said the recent spate of deaths and illnesses linked to e-cigarette use in the United States added urgency to Malaysia's review of its policies.

Advertisement

Advertisement

An estimated 5 million Malaysians aged 15 and older are smokers out of a total population of about 32 million, according to the most recent national health and morbidity survey by the health ministry in 2015.

The final draft of the new Tobacco Control and Smoking Act has been completed and submitted to the attorney-general for a final review, the ministry said.

"We really hope that the new Act can be tabled in parliament next year," the ministry's email said.

Tobacco products in Malaysia Read More – Source