….the push to outlaw vaping seems to be much less about defending public well being and extra about defending the marketplace for nicotine alternative therapies (NRT), like gums and patches.
In Malaysia, the heated debate over a proposed nationwide ban on vaping merchandise continues to accentuate. What seems on the floor to be a public well being measure, is in response to THR advocates, a transfer closely influenced by pharmaceutical pursuits. They argue that the push to outlaw vaping is much less about defending public well being and extra about defending the marketplace for nicotine alternative therapies (NRT) like gums and patches.
The president of the Malaysian Organisation of Vape Entity (MOVE), Samsul Kamal Ariffin, has voiced robust considerations that pharmaceutical firms—”Massive Pharma“—are behind the push to ban vaping. In step with what has occurred in different sectors of “medication”, he believes these firms view the vape trade as a menace to their conventional nicotine alternative merchandise and are leveraging considerations about youth utilization and product misuse to sway policymakers. Slightly than adopting evidence-based rules, he claims the narrative is shifting towards prohibition.
Samsul warned that banning authorized vape merchandise would possible worsen the state of affairs. As a substitute of fixing issues, it will drive customers to hunt out black market alternate options which might be neither regulated nor protected. He emphasised that historical past has proven prohibition doesn’t get rid of demand, it simply displaces it to unlawful and extra harmful sources. Supporting his arguments, nations resembling Singapore, India, and Australia, which have carried out bans, have nonetheless skilled excessive charges of vape use—primarily by means of unregulated channels, and elevated felony exercise consequently.
Taxed, regulated, then banned?
Below Malaysia’s present regulatory framework—established by means of the Management of Smoking Merchandise for Public Well being Act 2024 (Act 852)—nicotine-containing vape liquids have to be registered, and gross sales to these underneath 18 are prohibited. However enforcement stays patchy. Open-system units, which will be simply refilled and modified, proceed to be broadly accessible and liable to abuse.
The sweeping ban is being thought of even though the federal government is establishing registration necessities and accumulating taxes (over RM600 million in vape-related income anticipated this 12 months alone). The Malaysian Vape Chamber of Commerce (MVCC), specified that the authorized vape trade has made important financial contributions by producing RM3.48 billion in 2023, supporting over 7,500 normal and specialty retailers, and using greater than 31,500 Malaysians—a lot of them Bumiputera entrepreneurs.
The Malaysia Retail Digital Cigarette Affiliation (MRECA) additionally voiced concern. President Datuk Adzwan Ab Manas acknowledged that a lot of its members have invested in regulatory compliance, coaching, and infrastructure – to what finish? Shutting them down, he argued, would punish accountable operators with out successfully tackling the foundation causes of misuse—specifically poor enforcement and the presence of unlawful sellers.
The twin-track strategy of native authorities has naturally drawn criticism from the authorized vape trade, which questions the logic of taxing and registering merchandise that may quickly be outlawed. Amongst different issues, this sends blended alerts that undermine confidence amongst customers and bonafide companies.
The coverage inconsistencies have triggered concern not solely amongst vape retailers but in addition amongst customers and public well being advocates. THR teams and consultants have lengthy highlighted that vaping, when correctly regulated, serves as a hurt discount instrument. Citing worldwide research and information from the likes of Public Well being England and MUSC Hollings Most cancers Cente, they assert that vaping is considerably much less dangerous than smoking and has already helped many Malaysians give up cigarettes.
Public Well being or Market Safety? None!
In step with these arguments, Samsul believes the answer lies in higher enforcement—not prohibition. He suggests limiting gross sales to licensed vape outlets staffed by educated professionals, cracking down on unlawful on-line gross sales, and enhancing public schooling. Merely banning vape merchandise, he rightly argues, punishes compliant companies whereas doing little to curb misuse.
This angle is echoed by the MVCC. Secretary-Common Ridhwan Rosli identified that even in periods when vaping was banned, resembling earlier than Act 852 got here into impact, thousands and thousands of Malaysians nonetheless used vaping merchandise—most of them unregulated. He cited areas like Johor and Kelantan, the place bans had been already in place, but tens of 1000’s of customers nonetheless entry merchandise by means of the black market.
Ridhwan reiterated that pushing customers away from authorized merchandise solely encourages unlawful commerce, which is tougher to regulate and monitor. Equally, the Shopper Alternative Centre (CCC) argued {that a} ban would cut back protected entry to vaping, forcing many grownup people who smoke both again to cigarettes or towards unregulated merchandise. They referenced a 2021 international meta-analysis that discovered former people who smoke with out entry to safer alternate options had been as much as twice as prone to relapse into cigarette smoking.
CCC additionally highlighted a rising stigma surrounding vape customers. They criticized public messaging that lumps grownup harm-reduction customers along with irresponsible underage customers, suggesting that this undermines knowledgeable client decisions and fails to distinguish between use and misuse.
Regulate, don’t get rid of
MRECA, like MOVE and MVCC, helps regulation relatively than prohibition. It known as on the federal government to work collaboratively with the authorized trade and different stakeholders, resembling hurt discount consultants and legislation enforcement, to design sensible insurance policies. They urged the federal government to concentrate on stricter enforcement measures, higher monitoring of on-line gross sales, and more durable penalties for unlawful operators.
Because the Well being Ministry continues to guage the state of affairs, it faces rising stress to contemplate the broader penalties of a ban. THR advocates, in addition to client teams, argue that actual progress lies in accountable regulation, enforcement, and collaboration—not in sweeping bans that threat driving every thing underground and placing public well being at even larger threat.
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