Malaysian Health Coalition says country needs clear laws on vaping before any taxation

KUALA LUMPUR, April 4 — The Malaysian Health Coalition (MHC) today suggested that the government should work towards banning all tobacco and vaping products as a whole.

The coalition of health experts and doctors expressed their concern about the recent taxation on vapes and e-cigarettes as there is a glaring absence of a decision on whether vaping should be allowed or banned in Malaysia, or how vaping should be regulated.

MHC said that current Malaysian laws do not explicitly allow or explicitly ban e-cigarettes or vaping devices.

“Therefore, e-cigarettes and vaping devices exist in a legal ‘no-man’s land’, without any regulations to govern their use or reduce their harm to vulnerable populations like children or teenagers.

“In order for this excise tax to be legally possible, the Health Minister had to exempt nicotine liquids and gels from the Poisons Act 1952 which was also announced on March 31, 2023.

“We regret that this exemption was administratively necessary because there is a glaring absence of a decision on whether vaping should be allowed or banned in Malaysia, or how vaping should be regulated,” MHC said in a statement.

MHC said it is deeply concerned about the public health implications of vaping and tobacco use, especially in children and teenagers.

“We support the Generational End Game Bill and we favour an outright ban on vaping.

“Strict regulations will bring Malaysia in line with increasingly prevalent international norms.

“Countries that partially or completely ban vaping include Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Qatar, Singapore, Thailand and many states in the United States,” it said.

MHC urged the government to delay the implementation of the excise tax collection and the removal of nicotine from the Poisons List until the Tobacco Regulations & Control Bill and to debate and decide on the legal status of vaping in Malaysia as part of the Bill.

MHC said the government should impose gradually stricter regulations on tobacco as a whole, with an ambition to achieve a Zero Smoking Nation.

“No amount of taxes collected is worth the health of Malaysians, the health of our children and the health of our health system,” the group said.