Smoking in Malaysia
In Malaysia, cigarettes are legally sold, purchased, smoked, and imported, but it is illegal to buy them from vending machines or online. Also, health warnings on packaging are mandatory, but there are no legal restrictions on smoking in public places. The minimum age to buy cigarettes is 18 years. The total taxation rate applied to cigarettes is 51.6% including a specific excise rate of 45.98%. Available data indicate that smoking remains prevalent in Malaysia with around 4.9 million current smokers recorded in 2024, representing an overall adults current smoking prevalence of 17.9%, 0.5% among females and 33.6% among males. In 2021, smoking-related deaths was approximately 24,100, which represented 10.75% of all deaths that year, 15.03% among males and 4.44% among females.
Read articles from Malaysia
May 26, 2023 by therakyatpost.com
Over 1 Million Malaysians Think The Generational Endgame Is A Bad Idea
Smoking has been a hot topic for Malaysians in recent years. And since the government announced that they were going to ban the use and sale of anything smoking-related — including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, shisha, e-cigs and vapes — to people born after 2007 with hopes of stopping future generations from picking up the habit, many have argued that a prohibitory Generational Endgame (GEG) policy might create more problems than it solves.
May 22, 2023 by therakyatpost.com
Experts Call For Sensible Vape Regulation In Media Workshop
As the popularity of vaping continues to rise, governments worldwide are grappling with how to regulate this relatively new industry.
In Malaysia, lawmakers are considering legislation regulating the sale and use of e-cigarettes and other vaping products.
Proponents of vaping argue that it is a healthier alternative to smoking.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), smoking is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, responsible for over 8 million deaths annually.
Dr Colin Mendelsohn, an expert on smoking cessation and tobacco harm reduction, said vaping, on the other hand, is less harmful than smoking and can help smokers quit.
May 01, 2023 by galencentre.org
Explainer: How Malaysia Is Creating A Nicotine Economy
Today, the government is expected to begin collecting excise duties on e-cigarette and vape liquids with nicotine, after local manufacturers were given last month to register with the Customs Department.
The taxation of e-liquids with nicotine was implemented following Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa’s shocking decision last March 31 to exempt liquid nicotine from control under the Poisons Act 1952, vetoing the independent Poisons Board that had unanimously rejected the proposal.
April 17, 2023 by freemalaysiatoday.com
Nicotine: why are we so bothered?
On April 1, the Ministry of Health removed nicotine used for vape and e-cigarettes from the list of preparations controlled under the Poisons List to much uproar from healthcare professionals and the general public.
Amidst the protests, however, there were still those who were unaware of all the facts surrounding the issue and why so many people were upset by this. On social media, one of the main questions being asked is: Why are we so bothered about nicotine? Nicotine is one of the main components of cigarettes, and that’s been publicly available for decades for use by the public. Is nicotine that bad?
April 05, 2023 by theedgemalaysia.com
Anwar: Too drastic to ban e-cigarettes, vaping products
KUALA LUMPUR (April 4): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said it is too drastic to ban the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and vape products containing nicotine.
“Taking extreme action to ban vaping, e-cigarettes, is quite drastic, and cannot be done in any country in the world. Many people still smoke, even if we hold [several] campaigns,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (April 4).
Anwar was responding to a supplementary question by Kuala Langat Member of Parliament Datuk Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi whether the excise tax revenue collection worth over RM2 billion from the vape industry will be able to discourage the use of vapes.
April 03, 2023 by freemalaysiatoday.com
Vape liquids to be taxed, exempted from poison control
PETALING JAYA: The government has cleared the way to impose excise duty on over-the-counter sales of vape liquids used for e-cigarettes. Nicotine patches to help stop smoking and the vape products were also exempted from poisons control.
A gazette notification published by the health ministry [...] said liquid and gel nicotine were now exempted from provisions of the Poisons Act. Nicotine, with the exception of tobacco, had been classified as a Group C poison which could only be dispensed by doctors and pharmacists.
The exemption also applies to nicotine patches or gum, which are registered under the Control of Drugs and Cosmetics Regulations.
March 30, 2023 by thesundaily.my
‘Govt should not deregulate liquid nicotine'
KUALA LUMPUR: A government proposal currently under consideration to exclude liquid or gel nicotine from the list of controlled substances under the Poisons Act 1952, should not proceed as it contravenes public health priorities, said non-party think tank, Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy CEO Azrul Mohd Khalib, adding that the very consideration is “a shocking development”.
“On Jan 25, we issued a statement stating that as it is, vape in Malaysia remains unregulated, unrestricted, and out of control. Some 4.9% of the population currently vape and this number is rising by the day.
September 12, 2022 by thesundaily.my
More reasons why GEG has to be supported
THE Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) urges members of the Special Select Committee and parliamentarians to seriously consider whether Malaysia advocates the production of generations of nicotine addicts.
They have the responsibility to protect the greater interests of the population by supporting the Generational End Game (GEG) rather than those with vested business interests. According to statistics available, the number of Malaysians using electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), which include e-cigarettes and vapes, doubled to 1.2 million in 2019 from 600,000 in 2016.
July 26, 2022 by freemalaysiatoday.com
Include more industry players in developing vape rules, BAT tells govt
British American Tobacco (BAT) Malaysia has urged the health ministry to include industry players in developing appropriate regulations for vape products.
This comes in light of the Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill that is slated to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat next week. Last Friday, health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the ministry had engaged with many parties on the draft bill, including the vape industry.
However, BAT Malaysia said other industry players should also be included in these discussions. It did not name these “other players”.
July 12, 2022 by thesundaily.my
'Youths believe vaping safer than smoking'
The misconception that e-cigarettes are safer than conventional cigarettes is among the factors youths are vaping, Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah told theSun.
In February, Health Ministry Tobacco Control Sector head Dr Nor Aryana Hassan said 9.1% or 300,000 students in Malaysia are using e-cigarettes. “A total of 40.9% vape once a day while 33.9% vape two to five times a day.”
Noor Hisham said the majority of teens use e-cigarettes because they want to try something new, are attracted to the taste and smell of the flavours in e-cigarette liquid and have the misbelief that the products are safer than conventional cigarettes.