Govt Prepared To Revisit Ban On Vapes Dzulkefly

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There is a readiness to revisit the possibility of banning vapes in the country, said Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad.
However, the focus for now is on regulating and controlling vaping, he added.
Dzulkefly’s clarification came amid a backlash against the government after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's political secretary, Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin, said it was difficult for the government to ban vapes.
In a statement to Malaysiakini, Dzulkefly said despite plans by his predecessors as early as 2015 to ban vaping, Malaysia had missed the boat on enacting total restrictions like in Singapore, Thailand, and Brunei.
Health Minister Dzulkefly AhmadBy the time the Control of Smoking Products Act was in the works, vape products had already proliferated the market.
Hence, the current priority is tight controls, including mandatory registration, which the minister said has resulted in 80 percent of vape and e-cigarette products being removed from the market.
‘Nothing cast in stone’
"Even though it may seem there is 'no political will' for a total ban (on vapes) like in our neighbouring countries, I believe we will handle this problem with the situation and realities of our nation.
"InsyaAllah we are ready to revisit (the ban) and implement it as suggested by (Ikram Health president) Dr Afiq (Mohd Nor) if there is a need.
"We must be agile and robust. Nothing is cast in stone," Dzulkefly said.
The health minister added that at the moment he needs to convince civil society groups to trust in the existing regulations and work together to control the dangers of vaping. - Mkini

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