Melaka considers ban on vape sales

Free Malaysia Today

6 days ago

Police say more states should ban the sale of e-cigarettes and vapes as they are becoming increasingly linked to the abuse of new synthetic drugs. (Bernama pic)
MELAKA : Melaka police are proposing that the state government ban the sale of vape products to curb the threat of synthetic drugs being misused through electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes.
Melaka police chief Dzulkhairi Mukhtar said this follows several arrests where vape liquids were found to contain illegal substances like ketamine.
He added that the police are increasingly concerned about the rise in the use of vapes among school students and adults, Bernama reported.
'We are still in the process of preparing a proposal for a ban on the sale of vape products that will be submitted in the near future,' he said at the Melaka police headquarters.
'We are doing this because of the health and social issues involved with vaping, especially among teenagers.
He added that the proposal will also consider the economic impact if vape sales are banned.
Terengganu, Perlis and Kedah have moved to ban the sale of vape products and e-cigarettes, joining Johor and Kelantan which have imposed such a ban for years now.
Last week, Negeri Sembilan also said it was considering a ban on the sale of vape products and electronic cigarettes in the state.
On May 20, the Selangor government ordered all local councils to seize and remove advertisements related to vape products to curb the use of e-cigarettes.
Last month, deputy inspector-general of police Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said more states should ban the sale of e-cigarettes and vapes as they were becoming increasingly linked to the abuse of new synthetic drugs.
Ayob said students as young as 13 have been caught using vapes containing substances mixed with drugs, and that fentanyl-laced vape liquids have been found with effects 100 times stronger and more dangerous than morphine.