The Malaysian government believes that the time has not yet come to implement a complete ban on electronic cigarettes or vapes, as some developed countries have already done, according to a report by Utusan Malaysia on November 19th.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad stated that the government has no objection if individual states wish to ban the sale of such products.
"If you ask me, I would indeed like to see vapes banned, but perhaps we can follow Johor's approach, where vapes are not allowed to be sold in stores," he said.
Yesterday, the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah, in a statement in Kuantan, recommended a total ban on electronic cigarette products, citing them as a cause of drug addiction.
Commenting further, Dzulkefly expressed his gratitude for the Sultan's suggestion but said the government has its own step-by-step approach, including through advocacy methods.
"If we look at Act 852, which came into effect on October 1, Malaysia is indeed heading in that direction, but the government's stance is not to impose an immediate ban," he said.
He referred to the Tobacco Control for Public Health Act 2024, which was gazetted on February 1, despite some parties calling for the government to reverse its decision.
Dzulkefly suggested that Pahang could follow Johor's example. In 2016, Johor became the first state to ban the sale of vapes in all commercial premises and stopped issuing operating licenses for stores selling vape products.
He added that other states are free to adopt Johor's approach if they wish to curb the issue of vape addiction.
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