The Health Ministry will not ban vape for the time being despite the National Fatwa Council having ruled that e-cigarettes are forbidden, Deputy Health Minister Hilmi Yahaya said today.

The ministry will not ban vape for the time being as the cabinet has decided to regulate the sale of vape, Hilmi said.

"We are not going to ban it. We will follow the instruction of the cabinet on whether to ban. So we will put controls on vape," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby.

"We only restrict smoking and vaping at the gazetted no smoking zones," Hilmi said.

However, he added, the ministry would follow the instructions of the cabinet until a decision is made by the special committee on vaping.

"It (the committee) has to discuss the issue, including the next move. When you ask me, I also don't know," Hilmi ( photo ) said when asked if the special committee would discuss the fatwa ruling made last night.

National Fatwa Council chairperson Abdul Shukor Husin had said the decision was made after taking into consideration all aspects, including from the point of view of syariah (Islamic law), medical and scientific which found electronic cigarettes were wasteful and harmful to health.

“Two papers in connection with the health and syariah aspects were presented (to us),” he added.

Abdul Shukor said studies from the health point of view were also taken into account, through information obtained from the World Health Organisation which had collected information on the effects of vaping worldwide.

“In fact, health experts also found that vape and electronic cigarettes could not help smokers and heavy smokers to quit smoking,” he said.

In line with the decision made, Abdul Shukor also recommended other states to follow the decision decreed by the council.