Malaysia drags feet on vape ban as youth lung damage fears mount

Malaysia is facing growing public pressure to ban vapes nationwide as horror stories emerge of young people suffering damaged lungs

Malaysians have accused the government of dragging its feet over a full ban on vapes, saying the health damage inflicted on smokers of electronic cigarettes, especially the young, is abundantly clear with prematurely damaged lungs among the horror stories shared by them.

Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad has said his ministry will commission a study involving the finance, domestic and international trade ministries before suggesting a potential nationwide ban on vapes, despite six of Malaysia’s thirteen states already enforcing their separate prohibition.

His suggestion has been seen by some Malaysians as another flip-flop approach by the government towards the money-spinning e-cigarette industry.

Malaysia has removed liquid nicotine from the poison list, which critics say has opened the floodgates of unrestricted sales to minors. It has also shied away from a total ban on tobacco use.

Hafidz Halim, a 34-year-old engineer who has three school-age children, said vape use was becoming increasingly accessible, with the pen-sized devices easily concealed and brought into schools.

“My friends and I have to actively go through our children’s belongings to see if they have it on them,” Hafidz told This Week in Asia.

“The school has warned us that kids are puffing up in between classes. Just ban it.”

Speaking in parliament on Monday, Dzulkefly said the government was considering a complete ban on vapes as existing legislation had failed to curb their widespread use.

“The health ministry is moving towards a complete ban on the sale and use of electronic cigarettes or vapes to curb this issue more effectively and comprehensively. However, the implementation of such a ban must be carried out carefully,” the minister said.

The rationale, he said, was to properly assess the impact of a complete ban from a legal perspective as well as its impact on government revenue.

The Malaysian vape industry’s retail value grew 53 per cent from 2019 to 2023, increasing from 2.27 billion ringgit to an estimated 3.48 billion ringgit (US$823 million), according to the Malaysian Vape Chamber of Commerce.

Malaysia’s healthcare system was bracing for annual costs of up to US$82 million by 2030 to treat lung injuries linked to e-cigarette and vape use, Dzulkefly told parliament.

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The public has questioned the necessity for the government to study the matter further and proposed an immediate ban instead.

A generational “end game” bill was proposed in 2023 to ban the sale of tobacco for everyone born after 2007, effectively ending cigarette use for this generation and beyond, without affecting older smokers who were already hooked on the substance.

But the bill was removed from parliamentary discussion in November that year following pushback from pro-smoking groups and the tobacco lobby, as well as constitutional concern over civil liberties.

“It would be better if they just bring that back,” one Facebook user said.

While the federal government is still deliberating, state governments in Johor, Kelantan, Terengganu, Perlis, Kedah, and Pahang have moved ahead with their own ban on the sale of vapes.

Apart from the respiratory risk from e-cigarette use, the moves by the state governments were motivated by the increasing association of vaping with synthetic drug abuse, including by minors.

In June, three Singaporean men were arrested in Kuala Lumpur with US$1.7 million worth of cocaine-laced vape liquid destined for sale overseas, highlighting Malaysia’s emerging role as a hub for a new generation of narcotics delivered through e-cigarettes.

In May, the death of a 44-year-old man went viral after his family shared his parting message, warning the public of the dangers of e-cigarettes.

One TikTok user warned: “I vaped so much that I would have the vape in one hand and the other was on the motorcycle handlebar.”

He said his condition deteriorated, requiring oxygen and a procedure to drain fluid and pus from his lungs. “To the younger generation, stop vaping. There’s still time and hope.”