Malaysia will now jointly regulate its e-cigarette industry through three separate ministries. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba told Parliament the Health Ministry; the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry; and the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) will now regulate the products. This reverses a policy proposal from the previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
“The Cabinet meeting on October 28, 2016 decided that three ministries — the Health Ministry, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry and the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry — would regulate the use of e-cigarettes or vape (devices) encompassing control over the use of and sales of e-cigarette and vape (device) liquid as well as setting safe standards on devices used,” Dr Adham said in a written parliamentary statement yesterday, according to a story on malaymail.com.
Adham was responding to Gopeng MP Dr. Lee Boon Chye from PKR who asked the government to state its policies on vape devices and e-cigarettes. Lee had been deputy health minister under the PH administration when a new law, the Tobacco Control Act, was mooted putting the Health Ministry in charge of all tobacco-related products and no-smoking zones.
The sale of e-cigarette and vape device liquids containing nicotine as a consumer product is not allowed in Malaysia. However, the country recently imposed a 10 percent tax on the products.
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