KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Vape Industry Advocacy (MVIA) has urged the government to introduce vape regulations in the Budget 2022 tabling next month.
The association believes the implementation of regulations will not only boost the country's economy and attract foreign direct investments for the vape industry and ensure the quality and standard of vape products.
Its president Rizani Zakaria said the vape industry has been pushing for regulations for the industry for a while now.
Given the economic and health challenges faced by the country, MVIA believes it is time for vape regulations to be implemented.
"The Budget 2022 will be tabled soon. We hope that our input gets the attention of the government, and they are encouraged to regulate the local vape industry immediately.
"MVIA is ready to assist the government and be the voice of the industry to be jointly involved in the development of the regulations," he said in a statement today.
Rizani said MVIA has shared its recommendations with the relevant ministries and, at the same time, have requested a consultation session to provide feedback on the regulatory requirements for the vape industry.
He said a strong and resilient industry not only benefits industry players and consumers but also encourages entrepreneurs, especially Bumiputera, to get involved in the industry, which will, in turn, offer employment opportunities.
To date, the vape industry has successfully created thousands of job opportunities and is able to generate billions of dollars for the local economy.
MVIA estimates the local vape industry is worth RM2.27 billion with 3,300 registered businesses.
"We are aware that the government is working towards the country's recovery through the National Recovery Plan.
"The government should list the vape industry as one of the focus areas that can help economic development, human capital and public health," he said.
On this matter, Rizani said the majority of vape users in Malaysia are former smokers and support the tobacco harm reduction (THR) strategy.
"Only with regulations, the government can set a set of standards, and retailers can guarantee product quality.
"Additionally, regulations should also take into account the differences in traditional tobacco and vape products.
"One is a product that has been proven to be harmful and poses high health risk while vape products have been proven to be less harmful and can aid smokers in their quit journey," he said.
"Therefore, regulations must be different to allow less harmful vape products to be promoted to help smokers quit smoking and reduce the rate of smokers in Malaysia," Rizani said.