The Malaysian Electronic Cigarette Organization Responded To 2Firsts: The E-liquid Capacity Of Closed-type Products Will Be Reduced To 2 Ml in Two Years, And Relevant Documents Have Not Yet Been Issued

The Malaysian Electronic Cigarette Organization responded to 2Firsts: The e-liquid capacity of closed-type products will be reduced to 2 ml in two years, and relevant documents have not yet been issued

Recently, the Malaysian Ministry of Health announced that the Public Health Smoking Products Control Act 2024 (Act 852) will be officially implemented on October 1. In this regard, 2Firsts contacted Rizani bin Zakaria, chairman of the Malaysian Electronic Cigarette Industry Advocacy Organization (MVIA), for more information.

[2Firsts Original] Recently, the Malaysian Ministry of Health announced that the Public Health Smoking Products Control Act 2024 (Act 852) will be officially implemented on October 1. The Act covers tobacco registration, sales, packaging, labeling, and prohibition of smoking in public places, and includes e-cigarettes in the scope of supervision. Many media mentioned that the new regulations will prohibit the display of e-cigarettes in stores and impose new capacity restrictions on e-cigarette oils. The upper limit of the oil capacity of all disposable cartridges, replaceable oil tanks and disposable products is 3 ml, while the upper limit of bottled oil is 15 ml.

 

In this regard, 2Firsts contacted Rizani bin Zakaria, chairman of the Malaysian Electronic Cigarette Industry Advocacy Organization (MVIA), for more information.

 

In response to 2Firsts' questions, Rizani said that the content of e-liquid will be more restricted in two years, and the open cartridges, disposable and closed cartridges will be reduced from 3 ml to 2 ml. There is no formal draft or document on these provisions on the restriction of e-cigarette e-liquid content, and the Malaysian e-cigarette industry is currently waiting for the Ministry of Health to provide the latest guidelines.

 

The following is the conversation between 2Firsts and Rizani.

 

2Firsts: Can you outline the specific provisions of the new bill (Act No. 852) on e-cigarette products? Does the bill limit the capacity of e-cigarettes?

Rizani: The provisions of the Malaysian Ministry of Health on e-cigarettes mention that the capacity of e-cigarette oil bottles is limited to 15 ml. Two years later, on October 1, there will be more restrictions on the content of e-liquid, with open cartridges, disposable and closed cartridges reduced from 3 ml to 2 ml.

 

In addition to the restrictions on the content of e-liquid, the new bill also mentions restrictions on the sale of e-cigarettes, which can only be sold in professional e-cigarette stores that meet certain conditions, and restricts online sales, open markets, vending machines and all similar sales methods.

There is no formal draft or document for the above regulations, and the Malaysian e-cigarette industry is currently waiting for the latest guidelines from the Ministry of Health.

 

2Firsts: If the bill explicitly proposes restrictions on the capacity of cartridges and e-cigarette oil, how will these restrictions be implemented? What specific impact do these new regulations have on the local e-cigarette industry?

 

Rezani: The most urgent need for the Malaysian e-cigarette industry is to resolve the retail display ban. The government should recognize that this ban severely limits consumers' access to regular products and may push them to illegal products.

 

In addition, the low milliliter limit will force retailers to deal with inventory, and the situation will become more serious. Many operators in these stores, especially smaller and independent operators, may be forced to close permanently. Many retailers operate on slim margins and the sudden need to dispose of unsellable inventory, coupled with new compliance costs, is likely to lead to more business closures. These closures will not only affect business owners, but will also result in job losses and impact the local economy.

 

2Firsts: What does the local vaping industry think of these new regulations?

 

Rezani: The government should consider delaying the implementation of these new regulations and prioritize working with the vaping industry to review and refine the proposed rules. A more collaborative approach is one that achieves public health goals while also safeguarding the livelihoods of the thousands of Malaysians who rely on the vaping industry.

 

The vaping industry is not against regulation. In fact, we welcome clear, reasonable guidelines that can ensure product safety and consumer protection.