Former Malaysian Health Minister: vape market turning lawless

On July 17, according to The Star Malaysia, former Malaysian Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin stated that Malaysia is like the lawless “Wild West” for e-cigarette products as there are no laws regulating their sale and use. He said on his social media platforms.

He said on his social media platform:

“Right now in Malaysia, [the market] has become lawless due to the lack of laws on e-cigarettes.”

There is speculation that Kari’s outburst is related to a recent documentary.

The documentary team went undercover to six e-cigarette stores in Kuala Lumpur and found that none of them had a rule requiring young buyers to show their ID cards to verify their age, although four of the stores displayed “18+” signs.

Kari indicates:

“I apologize for this situation.”

Kari indicated that no action could be taken on the sale and marketing of e-cigarette products until a new law is enacted.

On April 1 this year, the Malaysian Ministry of Health issued an announcement exempting e-cigarettes and nicotine liquids and gels used in e-cigarette products from drug control, sparking criticism from the public and various health organizations.

Three non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the Malaysian Anti-smoking Council (MAC), Green Lungs Malaysia (GLM) and Voices for Children (VFC), have initiated a judicial review of the decision.

They have named Health Minister Dr. Zaleeha Mustafa and the government as defendants and are seeking a court order to annul Dr. Mustafa’s decision to amend the drug bill on March 31st.

Zaleeha has indicated that the new Tobacco Control Bill will regulate all smoking products, including liquid and gel nicotine used in e-cigarettes and e-cigarette products. The proposal, dubbed the “Generation Endgame (GEG)” bill, was tabled in the lower house of parliament last month and resubmitted to a parliamentary committee for review.