VAPE industry players in the country are still in the dark over the details of upcoming laws to regulate the industry nor have knowledge on the plans that the Health Ministry (MOH) has in store for the products.
This is given that the MOH has stated that new laws will be introduced to regulate the vape industry “very soon” yet the industry is taken by surprise as it has no knowledge nor details of the law.
“We saw the government exempt vape liquid containing nicotine from the Poisons Act 1952 and also impose excise on the product. We support this move as it will finally enable the products to be regulated,” Malaysian Vape Chambers of Commerce’s (MVCC) secretary-general Ridhwan Rosli pointed out.
“(However,) there has been no discussion with the MOH on this matter. The last discussion that was held with MOH was middle of last year with the ex-health minister who was adamant about the generational end game (GEG) proposal which the industry players were against given the negative impact it could have onto the local vape industry.”
In this regard, Ridhwan stressed the need for industry players to be involved in the discussion to develop laws to regulate the industry to ensure it is consistent with international practice and countries that are regulating the products.
“The MOH needs to hold discussions with industry before making a final recommendation or tabling any law. This is to ensure the laws are consistent with global developments and learn from other countries that are regulating the products,” reckoned Ridhwan.
“If we take the Philippines for example, they went through a thorough process to introduce regulations for their vape industry which was a culmination from numerous meetings and public consultations with the industry and all parties. That led to clarity and attracted multinationals expanding and investing in the country.”
It was reported that the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) held public consultations to craft rules and regulations for vape products after being given the powers to draft regulation for vape products from its Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year and subsequently issued the law by end-2022.
At the same time, it was reported that multinationals in the sector expressed interest ininvesting and expanding in the Philippines given the development then.
“There are learning opportunities here. The vape sector is a growing sector globally and multinationals would be looking at Malaysia if we get this right,” projected Ridhwan.
“Currently, the industry is already valued at over RM2 bil and with the right policies in place, there could potentially be investments brought into Malaysia which would spur the electrical and engineering sector and other downstream industries, create jobs opportunities, and help the Malaysian economy to grow.” – April 10, 2023
