Malaysia Plans National Ban on E-Cigarette Sales! Health Ministry to Submit Prohibition Proposal
Kuala Lumpur News — Malaysian Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad announced at a press conference in Parliament on July 28 that the federal government is considering a nationwide ban on the sale and use of e-cigarettes. The move aims to curb the abuse of e-cigarettes, and the relevant proposal will be formulated by the Health Ministry’s specialized committee.
Policy Implementation Path
- Legal Basis
The minister clearly stated that the current “2024 Public Health Tobacco Products Act” (Act 852) only regulates e-cigarette usage, without granting authority to impose a ban, and the new proposal needs to be comprehensively assessed from four aspects: legal framework, industry impact, government tax, and licensing system. - Interdepartmental Collaboration
The Health Ministry will soon jointly review the details of the ban with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, and the Attorney General’s Department. The inter-ministerial consultation meeting has already started on July 22.
Local Bans First
Currently, six states have taken actions:
- Comprehensive Sales Ban: Johor, Kelantan (effective immediately)
- Stop Issuing New Licenses: Kedah (effective immediately), Perlis, Terengganu, Pahang (license renewal terminated)
- Expand the Ban on August 1: Terengganu and Perlis will join the comprehensive sales ban
The minister emphasized that local measures align with the “public health demand”, but the current jurisdiction is still limited and has not covered all retail points such as convenience stores.
Exposure of Anti-Smoking Achievements
The Health Ministry also publicly disclosed the implementation results of Act 852 (as of June 30, 2024):
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| Law Enforcement Actions | 15,775 times |
| Violation Notices | 78,424 copies |
| Investigation Cases | 524 cases |
| Registered E-Cigarette Brands | Reduced by 88% (from 6,800 to 2,794) |
| Anti-Smoking Intervention for Minors | 36,780 secondary school students participated in the smoking cessation program; 2,619 warnings were issued to underage smokers |
Health Crisis Intensifies
The latest cancer registration data shows (2022–2023):
- Male Lung Cancer Patients: 8,091 cases
- Female Lung Cancer Patients: 5,251 cases
To address the risks, the Health Ministry will launch the “Save Dad’s Lungs” (Selamat PaPa) and “Protect Mom from Secondhand Smoke” (Ops Selamatkan MaMa) initiatives on August 1, with 111 addiction treatment centers and 857 smoking cessation clinics across the country fully operational.
Core Contradiction: While the Health Ministry proposes the ban, it needs to balance industry losses (there were 3,200 e-cigarette brands in the entire country before the implementation of this act) and public health goals. With multiple states tightening regulations first, the process of implementing the national ban will become a focal point of attention.
Report based on the minister’s statement and official data disclosed by Malaysia’s The Star and Asia News Network
