Malaysia Vape Chamber President: Vaping Should Be Regulated, Not Banned

October 28 news, according to local Malaysian media, the Malaysian vaping industry’s national association, the Malaysian Vape Chamber of Commerce (MVCC), questioned the motives of NGOs calling for a ban on vaping, saying they are applying a double standard to cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

The author of this article is the president of the Malaysian Vape Chamber of Commerce (MVCC).

NGOs calling for a ban on vaping show that they are taking a double-standard approach to cigarettes and e-cigarettes, even though cigarettes have been proven to be more harmful to health.

They also ignore the vaping industry’s role in helping smokers quit smoking.

Malaysian health NGOs are not being honest on this issue, especially when they ignore independent statements and research from international cancer NGOs, such as Cancer Research UK, Action on Smoking and Health UK, the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, and the Royal College of Physicians, all of which strongly support vaping as a less harmful product for smokers to switch to.

Even health authorities in the UK, Canada, and New Zealand have expressed the same view, encouraging smokers to switch to vaping, which has proven to be a less harmful alternative.

For example, a Public Health England study pointed out that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking.

We note that NGOs are concerned about vaping use among people under 18 and recent cases in the US involving product abuse through drug use.

That is why regulations must be introduced to ensure controls are in place to prevent children from accessing the product, and the product must be regulated to a standard that ensures no harmful substances such as drugs can be used.

Malaysia has more than 5,000 vaping businesses, employing between 5,000 and 25,000 workers to meet the needs of 1 million to 1.2 million vaping users in the country.

A ban on vaping would affect the industry and the livelihoods of industry workers. Most importantly, when consumers have the right to use regulated products, Malaysian vapers would be forced to use the product illegally.