The Malaysian Electronic Cigarette Association: The Ban On The Sale Of Electronic Cigarettes Is A Wrong Decision, Which Instead Has Led To A Surge in Illegal Loopholes.

According to the daily news report of Dailyex on May 26th: E-cigarette retailers are calling on the government to pay attention to the abuse of unregulated and unregistered e-cigarette products, which they believe is the real problem affecting the industry, rather than the legal sales of e-cigarettes.
Azwan Mansor, the chairman of the Malaysian Retail E-cigarette Association (MRECA), said that the decision of several states to ban the sale of e-cigarettes was wrong and might backfire, as it could lead to a large influx of illegal products into the black market.
"This ban is completely unreasonable because the e-cigarette products sold in licensed places do not contain drugs. You cannot buy drugs mixed with drugs in registered e-cigarette stores - they can only be found on the black market," Azwan told The Free Matthew Gospel.
"The problem of drug abuse stems from unregulated e-cigarette products, not the products regulated by the Ministry of Health. People who hold e-cigarettes containing drugs all purchase them from the black market."
Police Deputy Commissioner Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said last month that 65% of the tested e-cigarette samples contained prohibited substances, including methamphetamine and ecstasy.
He said that state governments have the right to ban the sale of e-cigarettes because the trend of using e-cigarettes to deliver new synthetic drugs is becoming increasingly evident.
He also urged all parties to work together to solve this problem and said that e-cigarette devices can be easily modified and contain harmful substances.

Kuala Lumpur and Kelantan have banned the sale of e-cigarettes since 2016 and 2015 respectively.
Johor and Glass City will implement similar bans from August 1st, while Selangor, Penang, Sarawak and Melaka are still reviewing the proposal.
Kedah has decided not to impose a complete ban, but will not renew e-cigarette business licenses after December.
Adzwan said that prohibiting the legal sale of e-cigarette products is not the correct way to solve the fundamental problem. He believes that education, law enforcement and cooperation would be more effective.
"MRECA has reported to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission the behavior of online platforms openly selling drugs, but such advertisements are still rampant.
He said: "If the authorities have all the data of retailers, regulation would be much easier. If there is reliable evidence that retailers sell drugs to minors or there are other violations, licenses can be revoked,"
Azwan also urged state governments to reconsider their bans, stating that it violates the "2024 Public Health Smoking Products Control Act". He said that the act aims to establish a comprehensive and effective regulatory framework for e-cigarette products, rather than implementing a complete ban.