Vape ban: Don't let perfection be enemy of the good, Wan Saiful tells govt

PARLIAMENT | Wan Saiful Wan Jan (PN-Tasek Gelugor) has urged the government to take immediate steps to tighten vape regulations, warning that excessive delays under the pretext of legal concerns would only worsen public health risks.

Debating a report tabled by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health focusing on issues surrounding vaping, Wan Saiful said Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad had previously expressed worry that a total ban could expose the government to lawsuits from industry players.

“Of course, this concern may have some truth, but such fear should not be used as an excuse for the government to take no action at all.

"If we cannot do everything, don’t abandon everything. Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.

Wan Saiful proposed that the government introduce measures that can be implemented immediately, beginning with higher vape taxes in Budget 2026.

“At present, the tax on vape is 40 sen per millilitre. That means 80 sen for 2ml, which is the equivalent nicotine content of a pack of cigarettes.

“But a pack of cigarettes is taxed at RM8. Why is one 80 sen and the other RM8? This is too big a gap,” he said.

He suggested that taxes should be benchmarked against nicotine content in cigarettes and raised annually according to a “tax calendar”, with hikes of three to four percent each year.

“This way, the people will know that within 10 years, the price of cigarettes and vapes will rise - and perhaps that will deter people from starting to vape,” he said.

He also questioned why vape has no minimum retail price while cigarettes are set at RM12.

“In my constituency, teachers tell me the main problem is vape use among schoolchildren.

“If we impose an appropriate tax aligned with nicotine content, and raise the minimum vape price to match cigarettes, then only can the government show firmness in controlling vaping,” he added.

Open tank system

Wan Saiful further pressed for stronger enforcement of existing laws under the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act, citing rampant unregistered products, open promotions, and sales to minors.

He singled out the “open tank system” as particularly dangerous, which Suhaizan Kaiat (Harapan-Pulai) had earlier shown in the Dewan Rakyat as an example, saying it allows for mixing of nicotine with other substances.

Suhaizan, as the Health committee chairperson, had also cited statistics from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2023 that 1.4 million Malaysian adults use electronic cigarettes.

He brought up the Health Ministry's National Health Morbidity Survey 2022 as well, which recorded 370,000 students aged 13–17 as users.

"In addition, poisoning cases have increased fivefold since 2019, with 41 percent of cases involving teenagers.

"Vape is also increasingly being misused to distribute and consume illicit drugs such as cannabis and ketamine.

"From early 2024 until March 2025, 96 investigation papers were opened, of which 70 percent contained drug-related elements," said Suhaizan.

'Vape tax still negligible'

Citing Finance Ministry figures, Wan Saiful further said vape taxes collected between 2021 and July 2025 totalled RM288.45 million - just 1.9 percent of the RM15.02 billion collected from cigarettes over the same period.

“This is the gap I am asking to be reduced or equalised between vape and cigarette taxation,” he added.

He also acknowledged concerns over the black market but said enforcement must be strengthened if the government intends to proceed with a ban.

“For every two packs of cigarettes sold, one is smuggled. More than 50 percent are illicit. Do we want vapes to end up like that?

“If vape products are banned without strict enforcement, it will be even more dangerous. The government must not lose focus by obsessing over a ban while doing nothing now,” he added.

Reporting by Alyaa Alhadjri, Hariz Mohd, Zarrah Morden, N Faizal Ghazali

PSM warns of dangerous state overreach in criminalising vape

Cabinet memorandum on vaping for tabling by year end - Dzulkefly

Working paper on vape sales ban to be presented next month - Perak exco

Vape ban: Govt anticipating legal backlash from industry

RM40b for healthcare reform under 13MP