According to a survey conducted by the Malaysian vape Federation (MVA) under the upcoming Public Health Tobacco Control Act 2024, 71.3% of respondents oppose the retail ban, believing it will lead them to switch to illegal alternatives or return to smoking. The association president called for a review of the policy, stressing that priority should be given to encouraging smokers to switch to vapes.
As reported by Focus Malaysia on September 19, Malaysia’s vape customer team is concerned about some key provisions of the Public Health Tobacco Control Act 2024 (Act 852). Recently, the Malaysian vape Federation (MVA) launched a survey on views on the bill, collecting nearly 500 responses.
According to the survey results:
- 71.3% of respondents opposed the retail display ban. The main reasons were not being able to browse products before purchase (39.7%) and difficulties in the purchase process (38.3%);
- If retail shows the ban is in effect, customers may look for illegal alternatives (47.4 percent) or go back to smoking (44.5 percent). Only 8.1% of respondents said they would quit smoking completely on a limited basis.
- The majority of vape users are former smokers or are switching from tobacco to vapes (74.4%), 81.9% of users use vaping oil containing tobacco tar, and 96.5% use vaping oil containing less than 40 mg of nicotine.
Commenting on the findings, Khairil Azizi Khairuddin said the retail display ban was not the solution. Restricting customers’ ability to browse and judge legitimate products only pushes them into a black market where quality and safety are of concern.
Karel also stressed that regulators should consider the impact of these restrictions on consumer behavior. vape customers should have the right to make an informed choice, and implementing a retail display ban would take that right away.
Karel called on the health ministry to seriously consider a ban on retail displays:
- “Bill 852 should prioritize measures to encourage smokers to switch to vapes, rather than imposing strict requirements on vapes to distinguish them from cigarette regulations. Otherwise, smokers will continue to smoke, or vape users will turn to the illicit market, which will undermine the role of vapes in reducing smoking rates in Malaysia.”
