NEWS
Is Malaysia’s
“vaping wonderland”
bubble about to burst?
Government regulation threatens the country’s booming e-cigarette industry
While many countries in south east Asia have all but banned
vaping, the e-cigarette industry in Malaysia is totally unregulated
but it could soon be under threat.
It was estimated that in 2015 there were around 600 vaping stores
in the capital Kuala Lumpur but now that could be as low as 150.
The Malaysia E-Vaporizers and Tobacco Alternative Association
(MEVTA) says they hear reports of shops closing every day and
now government regulation of the industry could be on the cards.
Its general secretary Norman Ismail says the association supports
regulation but is worried that it could become excessive and
heavy handed.
Malaysia’s Ministry of Health announced last year that it was
working on laws to regulate vaping to cover areas such as the
manufacture and sale of vaping products to where vaping should
be allowed and where it should be banned.
One major worry of the country’s vaping community is that the
new regulations may go so far as to limit the sale of e-liquids to
registered medical practitioners and licensed pharmacists.
Deputy health minister Hilmi Yahaya says the new regulations
should be drafted by the end of this year but insisted that the
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government was not planning an outright ban on vaping and
vaping products.
The MEVTA is backing regulation but insists the regulation must
be drafted in a way that acknowledges that vaping is primarily a
way for smokers to quit tobacco.
It has called on the Ministry of Health to conduct a “fair review and
assessment” of the vaping industry and its health effects.
The World Health Organisation’s latest report on tobacco use in
Malaysia estimated that 44% of men and 1% of women smoke
cigarettes regularly and that more than 10,000 Malaysians die
from smoking-related illnesses every year.
One real fear is that if regulation is too excessive then many
current vapers could be forced to return to smoking and thus it
could lead to many unnecessary deaths.
Malaysia’s Ministry of Health has also been accused of using
“scare tactics” to discourage people from vaping by suggesting
that it was harmful to health.
The numbers of vapers is also declining in Malaysia which has
prompted a number of Malaysian vape distributors to switch their
business from the home market to the export market instead.