KUALA LUMPUR (April 4): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said it is too drastic to ban the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and vape products containing nicotine.
“Taking extreme action to ban vaping, e-cigarettes, is quite drastic, and cannot be done in any country in the world. Many people still smoke, even if we hold [several] campaigns,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (April 4).
Anwar was responding to a supplementary question by Kuala Langat Member of Parliament Datuk Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi whether the excise tax revenue collection worth over RM2 billion from the vape industry will be able to discourage the use of vapes.
“We will continue with the excise duty tax. It is difficult to ban [the products], but we can raise awareness, so that people can make their choices. This is the simple approach by the government at the moment,” he said.
"The government will also intensify the campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking, including the use of e-cigarettes and vaping, by continuing the implementation of smoking prevention programmes in schools and higher educational institutions in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Higher Education, and relevant non-governmental organisations," Anwar added.
This issue was raised following the imposition of a 40 sen per millilitre excise tax on e-cigarettes containing nicotine in liquid or gel from this month, marking the removal of the products from the Poisons Act 1952. The government's move to delist liquid or gel nicotine has been met with fierce criticism, with strong objections from many involved in public health, as well as former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, and independent think tank and public health advocate Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy.
Local manufacturers producing liquid or gel products containing nicotine now have until April 30 to register their production activities with the Customs Department.
The plan to impose an excise tax on liquid or gel products containing nicotine was announced by Anwar when he retabled Budget 2023 in February.
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