Dear YB Datuk Seri,
The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) respectfully seeks clarification on the status of the Ministry of Health’s proposed nationwide ban on vape products, which was publicly announced for implementation by mid-2026.
The public health community welcomed your 25 September 2025 statement saying, “the question is no longer if we ban vaping, but when” and indicating that implementation was targeted for mid-2026, subject to Cabinet approval.
On 16 December 2025, you repeated your commitment that the government would proceed with a full ban on e-cigarettes and vape products, reaffirming the mid-2026 timeline.
The public health community widely welcomed this commitment as a clear signal of government intent and readiness to protect Malaysians, particularly children and youth, from nicotine addiction and vaping-related harms.
On this last day of June 2026, that mid-2026 deadline has effectively been crossed; however, we have seen no announcement on implementation or any public update on the status of the Cabinet approval.
This silence is deeply concerning, given the growing youth vaping epidemic and missed opportunities in recent years to strengthen protections against youth nicotine addiction.
The proposed vape ban is a critical opportunity to restore momentum following two major setbacks in Malaysia’s tobacco and nicotine control efforts.
First, the Generational End Game (GEG), a landmark policy to prevent the sale of tobacco and nicotine use to those born on or after 1 January 2007, was progressively weakened, delayed, and ultimately abandoned. Its loss represented a significant setback to Malaysia’s vision of a tobacco-and nicotine-free generation.
Second, the Government’s 2023 decision to remove liquid and gel nicotine from the Poisons Act 1952 before a comprehensive regulatory framework was fully in place created a regulatory gap that enabled rapid vape market expansion.
Since then, vape products have become widely accessible and appealing to young people through a wide range of flavours, attractive packaging, and digital marketing.
Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance
Given these setbacks, any further delay in implementing a vape ban risks further entrenching Malaysia’s growing youth nicotine epidemic and undermining Malaysia’s efforts to protect future generations from addiction.
While the vape ban remains pending, the vape industry continues to introduce new products, recruit new users, and expand its market presence. Vape products are aggressively promoted through social media, influencer marketing, and online platforms targeting young people.
The impact is already evident. E-cigarette use among minors aged 13 to 17 increased from 9.8% in 2017 to 14.9% in 2022. Each additional day of delay increases exposure, normalises nicotine use, and risks lifelong addiction among young Malaysians.
The economic burden is also substantial. Vaping-related illnesses, including e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI), are estimated to cost up to RM 223.5 million annually in healthcare expenditure. Every delay in implementing the vape ban allows the industry to grow while increasing the nation’s long-term health, social, and economic burden.
Malaysia has long been vocal in tobacco control, and the proposed vape ban offers an excellent opportunity to show leadership by protecting future generations from nicotine addiction, joining more than 40 countries, including eight ASEAN Member States (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam), that have banned e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
We call on the Malaysian government to fulfill its obligations under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to protect public health from commercial interests and to prevent and reduce tobacco use and nicotine addiction, particularly among young people, beginning with implementing a comprehensive ban on the sale, production, distribution, and use of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and other new tobacco and nicotine products.
Cigarettes and other non-medicinal nicotine products should never have been legalized, and we recommend further that this ban should jumpstart the phase-out of all existing tobacco products.
Malaysian youth themselves are calling for the protection of their health and future, urging the government to act decisively.
We, too, strongly and respectfully urge the Ministry of Health to expedite the implementation of the vape ban and prioritise the health and wellbeing of children and youth. We remain ready to support Malaysia’s continued efforts to strengthen tobacco control and achieve the highest standard of health for all.
