Johor vape sale ban remains amid ‘energy stick’ concerns

YONG PENG: Johor is still enforcing the ban on the sale of vapes, a restriction that has been in effect since 2016 following the decree of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia.

“So far, none of the local councils in Johor has issued business operating licences to those selling vapes and related products,” said Johor Health and Unity Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon, who added that the state is still waiting for further instructions on the action that can be taken against those who sell the product.

The subject of vaping came into the limelight following the removal of nicotine gels and liquids as controlled substances under the Poisons Act 1952 last year.

“To date, we have not received any reports on such products being sold in the state; at the same time, we would like to encourage the public to report any activities related to this.

“What we need to do is look into how to monitor the sale of this product online,” he said at Dewan Orang Ramai Yong Peng, here yesterday.

Ling was responding to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad’s statement, where the latter said the Health Ministry is planning to take immediate action on the “energy sticks” being sold in Malaysia and their rising popularity among minors.

On Jan 1, 2016, Johor officially became the first state in the country to ban vaping, with enforcement on users as well as traders selling them, following Sultan Ibrahim’s decree as the Johor Ruler.

Meanwhile, on the programme, Ling, who is also the Yong Peng assemblyman, said the Yong Peng District Council has spent RM215,000 every month on waste disposal alone.

“In a year, the council spent around RM2.6mil just to collect waste; this is a very huge amount that we could have saved and used for other development in Yong Peng.

“This is one of the reasons why the Johor government, under the leadership of Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, has introduced the Johor Bersih programme,” he said.

Ling added that a relook at waste generation and management will not only help reduce the council’s expenses, but also create a good image of Johor for visitors, especially foreign tourists who come to the state.