KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 — With the Health Ministry set to fully enforce the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health 2024 (Act 852) this month, experts said drastic moves like banning the display of vape products at shop counters can lead to creating a whole new market for non-compliant and illegal products.

Pankaj Kumar, managing director of Datametrics Research and Information Centre (DARE), said such a ban can undermine both consumer safety and government revenue.

“The vape industry, which is currently valued at RM3.48 billion, contributes to the economy by creating jobs and facilitates growth of the retail sector. Drastic measures can stifle this growth and lead to job losses,” he said at the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852) Roundtable here.

“Implementing and enforcing drastic measures can also be costly for the retailers. Hefty costs and investments would need to be made to adjust to the ban of display of vape products and these resources could be better spent on facilitating growth of businesses especially in current economic situations.

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