Vapeboss – The Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations, Malaysia (FPMPAM) has spoken out against proposed vape restrictions, much like the Tobacco Harm Reduction community.

Earlier this year, Malaysian Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced a ban on the sale of cigarettes and safer nicotine alternative products to anyone born in 2005 or later. The plan was released at the 150th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) executive board meeting, where Jamaluddin said his hope was for the legislation to be finalized this year and that it would bring a “generational endgame for smoking.”

In response to this proposal, the local vape industry has highlighted that local authorities should differentiate between tobacco products and safer nicotine alternatives. “The government needs to see that tobacco products and vapes are different. There is clear evidence from around the world that vape products are significantly less harmful than tobacco products. This is a fact that the government needs to consider, and the legislation should not be the same for vape products and tobacco products,” said Datuk Adzwan Ab Manas, president of the Malaysian Retail Electronic Cigarette Association (MRECA).

Local doctors agree. The group went on to cite the UK's Royal College of Physicians, which consistently recommends the use of products for smoking cessation and/or harm reduction.

The doctors’ association has criticized the government's proposed ban for promoting vaping or e-cigarettes as a harm reduction alternative to tobacco smoking. “The bill appears to completely disregard the overwhelming scientific data that THR can work with the proper regulatory framework,” said FPMPAM president Dr. Steven Chow in a recent statement.

In fact, a recent report by the UK's Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has reaffirmed that e-cigarettes appear to be effective when used by smokers as a quitting aid. “There is a need for regulation to reduce the direct and indirect harmful effects of e-cigarette use, but this regulation should not be allowed to significantly impede the development and use of harm reduction products by smokers,” said the RCP.

“However, in the interest of public health, it is important to promote the use of e-cigarettes, NRT (nicotine replacement therapy), and other non-tobacco nicotine products as widely as possible as a substitute for smoking in the UK,” it added.

Tax increase will create a black market

Meanwhile, renowned international public health experts have written to Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob warning him that the vape bill will ultimately only create a large black market and fuel the illicit trade of these products.

In the letter, academics and tobacco harm reduction experts David Abrams, Clive Bates, Ray Niaura, and David Sweanor, said that a prohibition approach may have unintended consequences. “We hope the government will consider the limitations and potential unintended consequences of a prohibitionary measure. We hope that ministers will consider alternative risk-proportionate regulatory approaches based on MPOWER and tobacco harm reduction.”