Malaysia Plans To Impose An E-cigarette Ban in The Middle Of Next Year, Which May Fuel The Growth Of The Black Market.

According to a report by The Star media on September 28th: Industry insiders have warned that if the government officially implements a ban on electronic cigarette products in the middle of next year, it may fuel black market transactions and affect the livelihoods of up to 30,000 practitioners.
The chairman of the Malaysian E-cigarettes Organization (MOVE), Samsul Kamal Arriffin, said that there are currently about 2,400 electronic cigarette stores (excluding the grocery store channels) across the country. Once a complete ban on sales is implemented, it will directly impact approximately 20,000 to 30,000 employees.
He emphasized that the government should not completely ban electronic cigarettes but should adopt the regulatory model of countries like the UK, and reduce tobacco usage through regulation. "In the UK, it was through the regulated management of electronic cigarettes that the smoking rate decreased," he said.

Samsul warned that a complete ban on sales would instead give rise to an illegal market. "Australia is already an example. After the ban was implemented, black market transactions became rampant," he said.
He pointed out that the 2024 Public Health Tobacco Control Act (Act 852) includes electronic cigarettes in the regulatory system, which helps improve product safety. Samsul called on the government to establish strict sales guidelines to ensure that electronic cigarette products undergo testing before being launched on the market. "We don't want anyone to be able to sell smoke oil without proper formulation. There won't be many enterprises that meet the standards in the future, but this is a positive outcome," he said.
On the other hand, the President of the Malaysian E-liquid and Tobacco Replacement Association (MEVTA), Mohamad Neezam Talib, said that many member enterprises have submitted registration applications to the Ministry of Health, but the approval process is too long, affecting normal operations. "We hope the Ministry of Health can shorten the approval period to 14 days. Otherwise, without sufficient inventory on October 1st, the business will not be able to start," he said.
According to Act 852, this act will come into effect on February 2, 2024, implementing comprehensive regulation of tobacco and electronic cigarette products, including registration, sales, packaging, and labeling. In June this year, the Ministry of Health said it had begun reviewing registration applications, and the registration window closed in April. It is expected that the assessment and approval process will be completed by October 1st.
Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad reiterated on Thursday that the government remains firmly committed to implementing the plan to completely ban electronic cigarette products in the middle of 2026 and will implement it in stages.