Adakah jualan vape bernikotin cecair, gel kini dilarang, soal badan pemikir

Galen Centre has urged the Malaysian government to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes and vape devices containing nicotine for public health reasons. The health think-tank is calling for the government to clarify the legal status of nicotine liquid and gel after it reversed its appeal against a court ruling that the exemption of these substances from the list of toxic substances was unlawful and irrational.

Galen Centre of Health and Social Foundations stated that allowing the court's decision to stand would leave the legal status of nicotine liquid and gel, as well as the sale of nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes and vape devices, in limbo. Executive Director Azrul Khalib said this raises questions about how the new Poisons and Control of Tobacco Products Act will function, as it does not address the legal status of nicotine liquid and gel.

The government previously argued that the exemption for nicotine liquid and gel was needed to allow nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes and vape devices to be taxed and regulated legally. The lifting of the exemption effectively nullifies the previous exemption, the think-tank said in a statement. Azrul urged the relevant ministry to provide clear guidance to all stakeholders in this matter, as the country cannot survive another period of legal uncertainty surrounding nicotine products.

Last May, the Federal Court overturned the ministry's order removing nicotine liquid and gel from the list of toxic substances as it was made without proper consultation with the Toxic Substances Institute. The court found that the exemption was driven by economic considerations related to the government's plan to impose a tax on nicotine-containing vape liquids.