Malaysia proposes allowing sales only of locally produced sealed e-cigarette e-liquid

According to news reports today, on May 8, The Star reported that the Malaysian Substance Abuse Council (Masac) has proposed allowing only e-cigarette e-liquid produced locally and sold in sealed glass bottles to be marketed in the country.

Masac Secretary-General Raja Azizan Suhaimi said that using glass bottles can minimize the risk of undesirable substances being added.

A joint study by Masac, the Asian Centre for Research on Drug Abuse, and Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia found that an increasing number of teenage girls are using e-liquid containing illicit substances.

Raja Azizan also proposed raising the minimum age for e-cigarette use from 18 to 21 in order to reduce abuse of e-liquids that may contain drugs.

So far, only 10 manufacturers producing liquid nicotine have registered with customs, despite the registration deadline having been April 30, 2023.

In the revised 2023 budget announced in February, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim revealed that nicotine-containing e-liquids are still being sold illegally in the country, with estimated sales reaching RM2 billion.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Zaliha Mustafa said the Generational End Game bill — legislation aimed at gradually raising the smoking age until it applies to the entire population — will be accelerated and redrafted.