Users at risk as vape ban fuels black market, govt told
A pro-vaping group claims a vape ban will fuel the black market, exposing consumers to unregulated and potentially harmful products.
PETALING JAYA : A pro-vaping group claims that any type of ban on vape sales will push consumers to the black market.
The Malaysian Vape Chamber of Commerce (MVCC) said it opposed prohibitionist policies like a ban on vape sales or the generational endgame (GEG) bill as these are likely to be 'ineffective'.
'Such measures do not eliminate demand. They merely drive it underground, fuelling the black market and exposing consumers to unregulated and potentially harmful products,' MVCC secretary-general Ridhwan Rosli told FMT.
The GEG provision, intended to prohibit the sale and use of tobacco products for individuals born on or after Jan 1, 2007, was omitted from the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023.
Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad subsequently apologised to the Senate for the provision's exclusion, which the Attorney-General's Chambers had said would be unconstitutional.
Ridhwan said such bans would also jeopardise the livelihood of legitimate industry players and deprive the government of valuable tax revenue.
He urged policymakers to focus on regulated and controlled solutions that balanced consumer safety, industry sustainability and economic contribution.
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.
So far, only Kelantan, Johor and Perlis have done so, with Terengganu to follow suit in August. Selangor, Penang and Kedah are still deliberating proposals.
Consumer Choice Center (CCC) Malaysia associate Tarmizi Anuwar said: 'Regulations should reflect the growing body of scientific evidence showing that vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking.'
Tarmizi added that policies must support access to safer alternatives for current smokers, rather than limiting them.
He said a five-month ban on tobacco sales in South Africa in 2020 saw 93% of smokers continue to access cigarettes through informal channels.
Prices surged by 250%, boosting the illicit market and putting consumers at greater health risk due to unregulated products, he claimed.
Tarmizi said state governments in Malaysia should adhere to the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852), which was passed by the federal government to regulate — not prohibit — vape products.
He said the vape industry requires a transparent, nationally consistent framework that would be more sustainable than broad prohibitions or generation-based bans.
'Consumers value their ability to choose safer alternatives and want to see smarter regulations—not prohibition,' he said.
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