Ispire Malaysia says Johor plant operating above board
PETALING JAYA : Ispire Malaysia Sdn Bhd today affirmed that its plant in Senai, Johor, which manufactures electronic cigarette devices, is fully compliant with local laws and regulations.
In a statement, the firm said it operates under stringent procedures to ensure that all manufacturing activities at its Johor facility are exclusively for export purposes.
'To date, Ispire Malaysia exclusively manufactures semi-finished hardware products destined solely for export.
'These products do not contain any nicotine or cannabis – liquid or gel – and thus are not subject to the health ministry's regulations under the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024,' it said.
It added that the products manufactured in its Johor facility are not marketed, sold, or distributed within Malaysia and not accessible to local consumers.
All finished products are exported to regulated international markets such as the US and UK where they are approved for sale by local regulators, the company said.
The firm also said that references cited in recent reports were largely drawn from Ispire's official US website and pertained to its business-to-business sales operations in jurisdictions where cannabis and related products are legal.
'These statements do not accurately reflect the operations of Ispire Malaysia, which strictly adheres to all Malaysian laws and regulatory requirements/frameworks,' it said.
Health think tank CodeBlue previously reported that Ispire produces nicotine and cannabis-related vaping products, and that its devices are used by clients to fill cartridges with cannabis oils in global markets.
The report cited an investor presentation in Las Vegas in April, published on YouTube on May 6, which stated that Ispire produces 'mainly cannabis-related products' in its Malaysian manufacturing facility, which has up to seven production lines.
In a statement last week, the health ministry confirmed that the government had issued Ispire an interim nicotine manufacturing licence to produce e-cigarettes with nicotine in its plant in Johor, together with local council approval.
However, CodeBlue noted that the ministry's June 2 statement did not mention the plant's production of cannabis vaporisers, which reportedly began in February 2024.
Ispire Malaysia today said that any production of nicotine-based products, if initiated, would be strictly for export and subject to formal approval by all relevant government agencies at both federal and state levels.
Yesterday, health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said that the Cabinet would decide on the fate of Ispire's operations in Malaysia.
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