‘Vaping ban will hurt retailers and create illegal market’
KUALA LUMPUR: Many Bumiputera and other local entrepreneurs will be affected if the government decides to ban e-cigarettes and vaping products.
Malaysian Vape Chamber of Commerce president Syed Azaudin Syed Ahmad said the move would severely hurt retailers and create an illegal market with unregulated vape products, which is far more dangerous.
“A total ban on vaping will also impact the livelihoods of thousands, including entrepreneurs who have invested a significant amount of money to grow their business,” he told the New Straits
Times recently. “We don’t agree with any call to ban vaping as such a move will push vapers who have quit smoking to turn back to cigarettes.”
Syed Azaudin said an average retailer in- vests between RM50,000 and RM250,000 to open a vape store.
“But retail is only one part of the industry. The whole industry has manufacturers, importers, logistics and warehouse companies and distributors,” he said, adding that the ban would wipe out the entire supply chain.
Syed Azaudin said MVCC has about 1,800 members comprising registered companies.
“We also know that some industry players export their products. Some Malaysian-made products are household brands in the global vaping industry and many of their products are in demand in the United Kingdom and the Middle East.”
Syed Azaudin said those who are calling for an outright ban on vaping are either misinformed or irresponsible.
“They have made many negative statements and ignored the positive side of the products. For example, Public Health England, a health agency in the UK, has stated that e-cigarettes are 95 per cent less harmful than cigarettes.
“This has been supported by many other non-governmental organisations (NGOs), such as Action on Smoking and Health and Cancer Research UK. But Malaysian NGOs ignore these facts and spread fear that the products are more dangerous than cigarettes.”
Syed Azaudin agreed that regulations are important and have to cover manufacturing, import and export, distribution, sales and usage.
“That way, it will prevent unscrupulous traders from selling the products to children and will stop children from using the products. At the same time, it will ensure that the products meet safety standards.”
He added that the Malaysian vape market is a multi-billionringgit industry and has the potential to grow further.
“While we welcome new laws to regulate the vaping industry, the government should consider how other countries allow sales of vape products in a regulated environment.”