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Tag: Malaysia

  • Malaysian Ministry Slammed for Lack of Transparency on Vape Policy

    Malaysian Ministry Slammed for Lack of Transparency on Vape Policy

    Today (September 3), the Consumer Choice Center (CCC) Malaysia criticized the Ministry of Health for withholding details of a July 21 closed-door briefing on e-cigarettes and vaping from both the public and most Members of Parliament. It said, “to date, the details of this briefing have not been made available to the public or Members of Parliament beyond the [Parliamentary Special Select Committee (JKPK)]. Requests from other MPs for more information were reportedly dismissed on the grounds that the session was strictly an internal JKPK matter.”

    According to CCC Malaysia Country Associate Tarmizi Anuwar, the ministry’s lack of transparency and its plan to propose a nationwide vape ban undermine democratic accountability and risk driving consumers to illicit markets. The CCC warned that the proposed prohibition would be premature given the recent enactment of the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852), inconsistent across jurisdictions, and contradicted by international evidence showing bans fail to curb use.

    The group urged the government to instead form an Implementation Committee on Vape Policy with federal, state, consumer, and industry representation to ensure coherent enforcement and evidence-based regulation.

  • Malaysian Vapers Alliance Warns Ban Risks Fueling Illegal Market

    Malaysian Vapers Alliance Warns Ban Risks Fueling Illegal Market

    The Malaysian Vapers Alliance (MVA) cautioned that uncertainty over state and potential nationwide vape bans undermines the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852) and drives consumers toward illegal channels. MVA president Khairil Azizi Khairuddin said a recent survey of 641 consumers found 74% fear bans will expand the illicit market, while 80% worry unregulated products could be unsafe. “Prohibition, in any form, is not the answer,” he said, urging consistent enforcement of Act 852 instead of new restrictions.

    The survey showed 83% of respondents were aware of the law’s implementation in October 2024, and 68% preferred buying regulated products. Yet MoH data indicates legal options are shrinking, with registered vape brands plunging from 3,200 before the law to 390 today. Khairil warned that crackdowns on illegal sales, including drug-laced liquids, prove non-compliant products stem from illicit trade, not regulated businesses.

  • Malaysia: With Rising Illicits and Looming Ban, Vape Sellers Told to Switch Businesses

    Malaysia: With Rising Illicits and Looming Ban, Vape Sellers Told to Switch Businesses

    Vape sellers in Sarawak, Malaysia, have been told to shift into other lines of business as the state government moves toward a full ban on the sale and use of electronic cigarettes. Deputy Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Ripin Lamat said businesses should “gradually transform and venture into more promising industries” such as food and beverage or agribusiness, warning that vape products “will destroy our young generation and ultimately undermine the values of future generations.”

    The Sarawak government is preparing legislation to formalize the ban, including a Cabinet paper that is currently under review with input from the state attorney general, secretary, and financial officer. The move follows earlier remarks from state officials linking vape use to drug abuse risks, and aligns Sarawak with several other Malaysian states.

    Similar bans have led to rising black market trade in other markets, and business officials worry the results will be similar in Malaysia, where illicit products are already becoming a problem. A Nielsen survey from May found that 55% of cigarettes sold in Malaysia are illicit, mostly smuggled from Vietnam, China, and Indonesia via ship-to-ship transfers along the east coast, costing the government RM2 billion ($480 million) in lost tax revenue each year.

    Customs has stepped up enforcement with AI scanners, body cameras, and tighter port controls, raising revenue collection by 19% in 2024. However, syndicates remain entrenched, aided by corruption and weak penalties, and officials warn that without stronger naval patrols, tougher laws, and better resources, the black market will continue draining state funds.

  • Malaysia Cracks Down on Tobacco Smuggling, Freezes $52M

    Malaysia Cracks Down on Tobacco Smuggling, Freezes $52M

    Earlier this week, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) launched Operation Sikaro, targeting companies involved in smuggling tobacco, cigarettes, and cigars, that caused estimated government revenue losses of RM250 million ($60 million) from 2020 to 2024.

    The MACC led raids with the Inland Revenue Board, Bank Negara Malaysia, and Customs across 14 sites in Klang Valley and Johor. Authorities froze about RM218 million ($52 million) in personal and company accounts and suspended import licenses of implicated firms.

    Investigations are also focusing on links to enforcement officers and potential money laundering activities.

  • Malaysia Rules Out Generational Endgame, Focuses on Regulation

    Malaysia Rules Out Generational Endgame, Focuses on Regulation

    Malaysia’s Health Ministry confirmed it has no plans to reinstate the Generational Endgame (GEG) policy, which would have banned tobacco and vape sales to those born after 2007. Instead, the ministry said its focus is on enforcing strict regulatory measures under the Smoking Products Control for Public Health Act 2024.

    These measures include mandatory product registration, bans on advertising and sponsorship, tighter sales controls, and expanded smoke-free zones. Officials said the priority is to shield young people from smoking harms through regulation rather than a generational ban. The GEG policy, first proposed in 2022, was dropped before the bill passed Parliament.

  • Malaysia Moving Toward Vape Ban

    Malaysia Moving Toward Vape Ban

    Malaysian Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said he will present an expert committee’s recommendation to ban electronic cigarettes and vape to the Cabinet once its study is complete. He said the move is “no longer a matter of if” and follows the enforcement of the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024, which has cut the number of smoking product variants in the market by nearly 60%.

    “With strict enforcement, I am confident we can effectively regulate cigarette and vape sales,” Dzulkefly said. “Most importantly, we must protect non-adults, students, and our children from exposure to vape. The Act will be enforced firmly to regulate all smoking products, including vape, for public health.”

  • Drug-Laced Vape Ring Busted in Malaysia

    Drug-Laced Vape Ring Busted in Malaysia

    Malaysian authorities, working closely with South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), dismantled an international drug ring accused of attempting to smuggle 2 million doses of etomidate- and cocaine-laced e-cigarettes into South Korea. Authorities seized nearly 5,000 cartridges and thousands of packaging boxes. Etomidate, a potent anesthetic, can cause severe health risks or death when abused.

    Four suspects, including the 31-year-old Singaporean ringleader, were arrested in June in Malaysia. The group allegedly aimed to distribute 20,000 liquid e-cigarettes monthly via Malaysia and other transit points. The ringleader had set up a fake headhunting business in Seoul’s Gangnam district, targeting South Korean students studying in Singapore to build a distribution network. The NIS began tracking the operation in 2023.

  • Drug Gangs Hijacking Vape for Narcotics

    Drug Gangs Hijacking Vape for Narcotics

    Public safety must focus on syndicates, not legal retailers

    Former Sarawak State Police Chief Datuk Dr Yusoff Nook called for a sharper distinction between drug crimes and the legitimate vape industry, following reports that investigated the widespread online sales of synthetic drug-laced vape products in Malaysia.

    In the investigation, it was found that illicit vape liquids laced with dangerous substances like methamphetamine, syabu, and ketamine were being sold openly on social media and e-commerce platforms outside any regulatory reach and entirely separate from licensed retailers. These products are disguised as flavored vape, often in colorful packaging that appeals to younger consumers, and are traded via anonymous sellers through private messaging and courier services.

    “These are not rogue retailers or irresponsible shop owners,” Nook said. “These are organized drug traffickers—sophisticated, transnational, and criminal in nature. They are merely using vape as a new delivery mechanism. But the issue is not with vape, the issue is drugs. At its core, this remains a drug crime, and it must be treated as such.

    “The recent calls for state-level vape bans are misdirected, as they do not address the real source of harm. The investigation makes it clear: these products are not sold by licensed players. They’re sold online by criminals operating in the shadows. A state ban on vape shops won’t stop this. If anything, it punishes the visible and regulated segment of the market while doing nothing to touch the underground networks.”

    Nook said that the legitimate vape industry is now governed under the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852), which imposes strict requirements, including product registration, price approvals, and retail licensing.

    “Licensed players are complying,” he said. “They are subject to inspections and oversight. The ones flooding our streets and social media with narcotic vape? They are not part of that system. They are traffickers. Let’s stop conflating legal vaping with narcotics. This is a criminal abuse of a product, not a failure of regulation or industry.”

    Nook urged authorities to act with precision, using tools like the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, Anti-Money Laundering Act 2001, stronger criminal enforcement, targeted raids, and cross-border intelligence sharing to take down these syndicates.

    “This is a matter of national security,” Nook said. “Drugs are illegal. Drug trafficking is a serious crime in Malaysia. We must continue to treat it as such. We should be using every legal weapon available to take down drug networks, not redirecting blame onto products that criminals happen to exploit.

    “The real danger is losing focus. If we spend time penalizing the legal market, we risk giving the illegal market room to grow. The vape industry is not the threat. Drug syndicates are. Enforcement, not prohibition, is the only real answer to this threat.”

  • Malaysia Losing $1.2B to Illicit Cigarettes

    Malaysia Losing $1.2B to Illicit Cigarettes

    Malaysia continues to suffer major revenue losses from the illicit cigarette trade, with an estimated RM5 billion ($1.2 billion) in tax revenue lost each year, according to the latest NielsenIQ Illicit Cigarettes Study released in March.

    After peaking at 63.8% in 2020, illicit cigarette consumption continued its slow decline down to 54.6%, according to the report, with 10 dominant contraband brands accounting for 75% of cigarettes smuggled. The study also raised alarm over rampant tax stamp fraud, noting that 31% of illegal cigarette packs bore counterfeit stamps.

    “Organized smuggling syndicates are growing increasingly sophisticated, posing a serious challenge to enforcement and public health policy,” the report stated. Hotspot states such as Johor, Selangor, and Sabah were identified as major entry and distribution points for illicit tobacco products.

  • Malaysian Vapers: Ban is Not the Solution

    Malaysian Vapers: Ban is Not the Solution

    With Malaysian states working ahead of the federal government regarding tobacco control, the Malaysian Vapers Alliance (MVA) implored policymakers in state governments not to ban the sale of vape products and instead work together with the federal government to ensure they are properly regulated. Various proposals that would stop the issuance of business licenses to sell such products are being considered.

    “Banning the sale of vape products by stopping the issuance of business licences for local traders will only create negative consequences, especially when the federal government has already enacted laws to regulate vape products,” said Khairil Azizi Khairuddin, president of the MVA. “Consumers want access to regulated products. But this situation will cause negative consequences where consumers will be forced to seek products from alternative sources, including illegal channels. This will then create a situation where illegal vape products and the underground market will flourish.”

    MVA said the proposal to ban the sale of vape products by stopping the issuance of municipal council business licenses does not solve the issue at hand, which is the misuse and abuse of banned substances. MVA further added that access to products laced and infused with drugs are not sold in vape shops but instead are sold via online platforms, including social media channels.

    “Clearly, the ban on vape shops is not the right solution,” said Khairil. “Instead, the authorities need to work towards ensuring only regulated vape products are available for sale in vape shops, increase enforcement efforts against the sale of products laced and infused with drugs on those channels, and impose heavy penalties including mandatory jail terms for those involved.