Consultation urged

British American Tobacco (BAT) Malaysia managing director Erik Stoel said that the tobacco product manufacturer supports the Malaysian government’s plans to introduce legislation to regulate vapor products and asks that the industry be consulted to ensure that “robust quality and safety standards requirements were considered” in their rulemaking.

Stoel added, “Banning e-cigarettes will only encourage consumers to continue buying unregulated products. Already, Malaysian law enforcement agencies are facing a huge task of clamping down on illegal cigarettes. The last thing Malaysia needs to deal with is another illegal product boosting an already thriving black economy. It is disappointing that up until today, we have not been consulted on these new regulations, especially at a time when effective regulations and policies are required to ensure that vaping products are safe and not sold to the underaged.”

Stoel cited the news concerning deaths arising from vapor use in the U.S. as to why it is necessary to have “effective regulations and enforcement to ensure product safety and to prevent youth access.”

BAT Malaysia currently does not sell vapor products in Malaysia.