KUALA LUMPUR – Vape retailers and industry association heads have urged the Health Ministry not to apply the generational endgame (GEG) bill for tobacco to vapes.
A joint statement by several industry representatives said they have conveyed this to the deputy health minister whom they met for a discussion on April 13 and 14.
Vape retailers also urge the ministry to work with the Customs Department on retracting restrictions on the import of vapes with nicotine so that the products can be legally brought in and with duties paid.
This follows a government gazette to remove nicotine from the list of controlled substances under the Poisons Act, said the joint statement.
The group said they stated their stand on the GEG bill during their meeting with the deputy health minister and other ministry officials, who in turn stated that the bill would go ahead.
“Vape industry players reject this move as it will affect our industry, while much more research is needed before any decision is made. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim himself said in Parliament recently that any move to ban vapes would be drastic.
“As such, the vape industry urges the Health Ministry to take the approach of addressing vape as a less harmful product compared to cigarettes and as part of measures to reduce the number of smokers in the country.”
The group cited approaches to vapes taken in other countries, such as the United Kingdom, where the devices are used to curb cigarette smoking.
The GEG bill, which will see smoking and vaping banned for anyone born after 2007, is expected to be tabled in Parliament this year.
Meanwhile, the government has imposed a tax on vapes and e-cigarettes with nicotine after removing the substance from the poisons list. Critics have slammed the move, saying this has made nicotine a legal substance that can now be sold to minors without any penalties.
In line with nicotine’s removal from the list of controlled substances, vape retailers said they asked the Health Ministry to work with the Customs Department on allowing vape with nicotine to be imported.
“We are still told by the authorities in the Customs Department that imports of vapes with nicotine are still banned and not allowed.
“This is inappropriate given the government’s announcement that vapes will be a regulated item. We ask that the Health Ministry act as soon as possible to retract the ban on vape imports.”
The statement was signed by 11 people, led by Datuk Adzwan Ab Manas who is president of the Malaysia Retail Electronic Cigarette Association (Mreca).
Adzwan on April 13 had posted on Facebook a photo of the industry representatives’ meeting with Deputy Health Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni. – The Vibes, April 17, 2024
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