KUALA LUMPUR – A total of 190 companies producing smoking products and electronic cigarettes or vapes have registered their products with the Health Ministry (MoH), the Dewan Rakyat was told yesterday.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad said the number includes 30 cigarette companies, four cigar companies, one company selling cigarillos, eight tobacco companies and 147 vape companies that have registered in line with the enforcement of the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852) which became effective October 1.
“During the registration process, complete details of smoking products including material content and emissions produced must be submitted.
“This is in line with Articles 9 and 10 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of the World Health Organization (WHO FCTC) which emphasises the importance of the control of smoking products and any product that fails to meet the specifications set under the act and related regulations will not be granted approval for sale,” he said at the Special Chamber session of the Dewan Rakyat sitting.
He was replying to the proposal put forward by Khoo Poay Tiong (Kota Melaka-PH) regarding the necessary strict measures to control the vape industry in this country.
Dzulkefly said Act 852 also stipulates the ban on the industry from selling disposable vape pod products in the form of toys or food that has the potential to attract children or teenagers.
“All smoking products need to be packaged in boxes that display new pictorial health warnings as well as the website jomquit.moh.gov.my to encourage smokers to jointly take the initiative to quit smoking,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said as of Sunday, MoH had carried out 3,191 enforcement operations across the country and a total of 56,517 premises had been visited.
“As of November 3, we also implemented education enforcement 72,024 times, we do not compound this education enforcement but provide education in terms of health literacy and so on,” he said. – November 5, 2024