Vape ban will affect RM2.27 bil Bumiputera-led local industry

THE Malaysia E-Vaporisers & Tobacco Alternative Association (MEVTA) and the Malaysia Retail Electronic Cigarette Association (MRECA) have urged the Cabinet to review the ban on the sale of vape to individuals born in 2005 (and beyond) which risks ‘wiping out’ the local vape industry which is worth an estimated RM2.27 bil.

Recently, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the Cabinet has approved the Health Ministry’s (MOH) proposal on the ban which will result in the local vape industry being banned in the future.

As such, he is hopeful that the new Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill, which proposes a generational ban on tobacco and vape, will be tabled in Parliament during the current parliamentary sitting.

“Cigarettes and vape are two different products and should not be equated in the same category within this ban,” insisted MEVTA president Mohamad Neezam Talib. “Vape is a less risky alternative to cigarettes and can help hardcore smokers quit smoking.”

“The Government should see vape as a method to reduce the number of smokers in the country as it has proven effective in other countries. This policy sends the wrong message to smokers today because it equates cigarettes and vape as products that have the same risks.”

Meanwhile, MRECA’s president Datuk Adzwan Ab Manas emphasised that Malaysia’s local vape industry is primarily made up of Bumiputera entrepreneurs, hence such policy will have an impact on Bumiputera business in the long run.

“The fate of the RM2.27 bil industry as well as 15,000 employees and 3,000 vape businesses in Malaysia will be affected if the Government does not give due consideration with this ban,” he lamented.

“Malaysia is considered as one of the leading vape producers in the world. It also has great potential to attract domestic and foreign investors. With this policy, it will stunt the potential of Malaysia as a producer of vape products in the world.”

Instead of pursuing an outright ban, MEVTA and MRECA urged the Government to develop a regulatory framework for the vape industry “which has been delayed for so long” while “differentiating the regulations for both the vape and cigarette industries” at the same time. – July 22, 2022

Subscribe and get top news delivered to your Inbox everyday for FREE