Malaysia’s vape market has a retail value of nearly US$850 million, which could be severely reduced due to new regulations. Photo credit: Oscarsussa218, CC4.0.
Malaysia’s Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act came into force on October 1, banning the sale, purchase and services related to all forms of tobacco products and tobacco substitutes – including vapes – to anyone below the age of 18.
South China Morning Post reports leaders in the vape industry argue that new regulations were introduced too quickly and without proper input, leaving businesses at risk of major financial losses as they rush to update their inventories.
They highlighted two key concerns that they plan to address: restrictions on the amount of vape liquid allowed in bottles and disposable devices, and the strict ban on displaying vape products at store checkout areas.
The new law restricts vape liquid sales to 15ml bottles and limits disposable devices to just 3ml of liquid. This is a significant change from current practices, where shops commonly sell liquid in 30ml and 60ml bottles, and single-use vapes typically hold around 15ml of liquid.
Malaysia’s vape market had an estimated retail value of nearly 3.5 billion ringgit (US$850 million) in 2023, according to a study released last year by the Malaysia Vape Industry Advocacy (MVIA).
A recent policy paper from think tank Datametrics Research and Information Sdn Bhd (DARE) suggests that Malaysia could potentially decrease its smoking population by as much as 1.35 million by 2030 through the implementation of tobacco harm reduction strategies.
However, DARE cautioned the Malaysian government to reconsider strict regulations that could impede efforts toward tobacco harm reduction. Policies such as banning the display of vape products, they warned, might work against the principles of harm reduction.