The Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Initiative (CAPHRA) has called on Malaysia to avoid a complete ban on vapes, advocating for risk-based ratio regulation, criticizing the World Health Organization for neglecting harm reduction strategies, and warning that the ban may trigger black markets and health risks.
Key points:
- The Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Initiative (CAPHRA) has called on the Malaysian government to reject a total ban on vapes and advocate for the adoption of regulatory measures commensurate with the risks.
- The organization criticized the World Health Organization (WHO) for neglecting harm reduction strategies, arguing that excessive regulation would lead to the expansion of illegal markets and an increase in health risks.
- The state-level sales ban trend and restrictive measures triggered by Malaysia’s “Public Health Tobacco Control Products Act 2024” (Act 852) have become the current focus of controversy.
CAPHRA urges Malaysia to avoid total ban on vapes
CAPHRA emphasized that clear product norms and law enforcement mechanisms should be established rather than implementing a complete ban to ensure consumer safety and market order.
According to a recent report by Tobaccoreporter. The Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Initiative (CAPHRA) has called on the Malaysian government to avoid imposing a “counterproductive total ban” on vapes in the current tobacco control legislation process and suggested adopting a “risk-proportional regulation” strategy.
The organization pointed out that the World Health Organization (WHO) ‘s continuous neglect of harm reduction approaches in global tobacco control policies is an important cause of preventable tobacco-related deaths.
CAPHRA emphasizes the need for clear product specifications and enforcement mechanisms
CAPHRA’s statement comes at a time when some states in Malaysia are considering tightening the control over vape sales under the Public Health Tobacco Control Products Act 2024 (Act 852), including implementing local bans and setting stricter limits on nicotine content. CAPHRA warns that if these measures are not carried out carefully, while suppressing legal channels and promoting the expansion of the black market, they will instead bring greater public health risks.
CAPHRA further criticized the World Health Organization for not addressing the role of vapes in the process of smokers quitting smoking. Data shows that although illegal tobacco trade in Malaysia accounted for 55.3% of the market in 2023. The WHO predicts that the country’s smoking rate will rise to 30% by 2025, while in Sweden, which has adopted harm reduction policies, the smoking rate has dropped to 5%.
CAPHRA and related personnel emphasized that the key to regulating vapes does not lie in a complete ban, but in formulating a reasonable and enforceable management framework. So that harm reduction products can play an active role in tobacco control policies, while preventing the expansion of illegal markets and the rise of public health risks.
According to its official website. The Asia-Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates Alliance (CAPHRA) is an alliance composed of tobacco harm reduction advocates and their respective organizations in the Asia-Pacific region. The main mission and objective are to educate, advocate for and safeguard the rights of adult nicotine alternative consumers to access and use products that reduce the harm of tobacco.
