The appointment of the 9th Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and the new Cabinet gives new hope to Malaysians who are keen to see a leadership that is able to improve the state of the country.
Representing the country’s vape industry, Malaysian Vape Industry Advocacy (MVIA) and the Malaysian Vape Chamber of Commerce (MVCC) welcome the new appointments and hope that the new leadership will be more supportive of the vape community which has been marginalised for too long.
According to Malaysian Vape Industry Advocacy’s (MVIA) President, Rizani Zakaria, discussions to implement regulations for the vape industry have been discussed for a long time but have so far have failed to be implemented. With this new leadership, MVIA believes it is time for the government to decide.
“The constant change in the country’s leadership has disrupted discussions on the implementation regulations. As a result, the industry remains unsure of its future.”
During the tabling of the 2021 Budget, the Government announced an excise tax that will be implemented for vape devices and e-liquids without nicotine. Industry players hope that the new government will expand the taxation framework to include excise tax for e-liquids with nicotine as well as regulations for the entire industry
“We hope that the Government will consider the recommendations put forward by the vape industry to introduce regulations for the vape industry as well as to introduce an excise tax on e-liquids with nicotine in the tabling of the 2022 Budget, as a continuation of the measures implemented last year.”
According to Rizani, the government should introduce specific regulations for the industry immediately so that it can thrive in a regulated environment which can benefit multiple parties.
“We are ready to work with the government to discuss and provide our views on regulations for the industry,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ashraf Rozali, Head of Information, Malaysian Vape Chamber of Commerce (MVCC) welcomes the appointment of YB Khairy Jamaluddin as Health Minister and as he is an individual who makes decisions based on facts and evidence.
“In 2015, YB Khairy Jamaluddin who was then the Minister of Youth and Sports urged the government to implement regulations for the vape industry and did not agree with the proposal to ban the use of vape, as traditional cigarettes were allowed for sale governed by regulations. In fact, he was quoted in media saying that vape has shown evidence of lower health risks compared with cigarettes based on studies done in European countries.”
“Now as the Health Minister, we hope YB Khairy Jamaluddin will help speed up the implementation of regulations based on facts and evidence shown in European countries so that industry players operate within a regulated ecosystem,“ he said.
Rizani added, with the existence of an ecosystem with regulations, the vape industry can grow in the domestic and global markets, and attract foreign investors to Malaysia.
“The local vape industry is currently estimated to be worth RM2.27 billion involving 3,300 businesses with more than 15,000 employees. There are more than 1 million vape users in Malaysia.”
“If the local vape industry is regulated, we believe it can grow significantly to compete with other major industries.”
