Everything You Should Know About Health Ministry's Nationwide Crackdown On Vape Stores
The clampdown has caused millions of ringgit to go up in smoke.
By Sadho Ram — 06 Nov 2015, 05:37 AM
DBKL says no vape ban in KL but traders will not get licenses
After the move by Johor and Kelantan to ban the sale of vape, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has now said it will not issue vape licences to traders. DBKL licensing and petty traders management department director Ibrahim Yussof said DBKL had received only one application for a vape sales licence and had rejected it.
"We will not issue such licence. I have told all sundry shops not to sell vape,” Ibrahim told Malaysiakini when contacted.
malaysiakini.com
DBKL Licensing and Petty Traders Management Department director Ibrahim Yusof said the body would continue with its policy of not issuing vape licences.
“It is not a ban for Kuala Lumpur. We never issued any licences for vape businesses in the first place, and we will not do so,’’ he said when contacted.
Ibrahim said operators selling vape liquid and items here applied to sell electronic items when applying for a business licence.
He said at least one outlet had been identified and the operator would be told to clear the shop of all vape items within 14 days.
On what action DBKL would take against operators selling vape liquids and gadgets here, he said this would be discussed with mayor Datuk Mohd Amin Nordin Abd Aziz and the top management.
Officials from the Health Ministry have clampdown on several vape stores nationwide, possibly resulting in losses which may run into millions, The Star Online reported Thursday night, 5 November, citing an NGO called Malaysian Organisation of Vape Entities
According to the NGO's President Samsul Kamal Arriffin, more than 300 vape stores in Selangor alone and other areas in Malaysia had been raided by the Health Ministry. Samsul added that it was unfair for the clampdown when the Cabinet clearly stated otherwise.
"Some shops lost some things while in others they cleaned out everything."
"When the Cabinet had issued a statement that they were not going to ban vaping, the Health Ministry should first propose a method of regulating it before the clampdown. This is very unfortunate," Samsul said, claiming that it was unfair to raid the stores as vaping helps people to stop smoking.
In addition to The Star Online's report, the Malay Mail Online also reported that some shops in Shah Alam, Subang, Bandar Sunway and Kelana Jaya have halted their operations after the raids
"They say they wanted to do tests and showed a letter which states that they can confiscate vaping liquids which contain nicotine," vape shop owner Mohd Azlan Mustafa told Malay Mail Online when contacted.
Mohd Azlan, whose shop is located in Shah Alam said the raid was done at 3pm today, adding that the total losses so far was estimated to be around RM1,000.
"The notice of seizure was given and the health ministry officer said that if I wanted to file an appeal it had to be done within 24 hours but what it the point? We are not selling raw nicotine," he said.
themalaymailonline.com
The Health Ministry's move has angered others traders as well
A vape shop employee who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the same thing happened to the place he was working in Sunway in the afternoon.
"They came and took all the nicotine products. We have to close shop for at least two days. We have no more stock, without nicotine how are we going to operate?" he told Malay Mail Online.
A vape shop owner in Kelana Jaya whose shop was also raided said he would probably find alternative ways to sell vape products with nicotine.
"Order online and send by pos laju," he told Malay Mail Online.
themalaymailonline.com
Meanwhile, President of the Malaysian E-Vaporisers and Tobacco Alternative Association (Mevta) said the Government's hasty decision against vape traders was unwarranted and would result in some people losing their jobs and means to support their families
Speaking to the Malay Mail Online, MEVTA President Allan Foo said, "This is their livelihood, their bread and butter. The government could have at least given a grace period before the raids or just take samples of nicotine products."
He added that the ministry "needs to be fair", saying that they "may have the power to raid shops or any premises, but they must at least give time for us to apply for the licenses."
"The raids are happening nationwide. My members have informed me that many states have been affected," Foo added.
In response, the Health Ministry has said that the raids on vape stores nationwide were carried out to seize nicotine-based vapes
An official from the Ministry said Thursday that the move was also to monitor the nicotine content in vaping fluids.
"The other reason is that these stores do not possess a valid licence from the Ministry," the official told The Star.
Asked on why vape store owners were not notified about the clampdown, the official said: “There was no need because Poisons Act is clear in its enforcement."
He said the sale and use of e-cigarettes containing nicotine are subject to the Poisons Act 1952 and Food Act 1983 under the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004.
A store in Shah Alam was among those raided
The owner claimed that officers from the Health Ministry had confiscated more than 3,000 bottles of vape liquid worth RM100,000.
"They came in around 4pm and showed us a letter claiming that the raid is due to the nicotine content in our products. They, however, did not have a letter which stated that they had permission to confiscate the products," he claimed.
The shop owner added that he did not get a clear response from the officers on how the products could be redeemed.
"They just told me to try and speak to their boss if we want our things back. We really do not know what to do next as we are still getting over what had just happened."
Meanwhile, a store owner in Kuala Lumpur told The Star that he had closed his shop upon receiving information on the raids
"Today we are closed, so we were not raided. We expected it to happen, so we closed," he said, adding that his shop would be closed until further notice.
He also said that most vape store owners believed the raids had nothing to do with health issues but due to tax. He condemned the raids which took place without notice.
"If you want to confiscate, at least give us fair warning. This is unfair, however, these raids will not deter our business. We will still continue selling vapes, but we will take it underground. The transaction will still carry on, just without a retail store. We will sell it online," he added.
On its part, the Health Ministry claims that it's studying the need to impose an excise tax on electronic cigarettes, including vape to prevent it from becoming a culture among Malaysians
Dr Subramaniam said his ministry was responsible for sending stern messages that e-cigarettes could bring about negative health effects in the long run.
"Our message is simple. We want to stop Malaysians from vaping whether there is a ban or not. We do not see the effects today but maybe in another five or 10 or 15 years," he said.
He said the matter was also to prevent vape culture from replacing the culture of cigarette-smoking as the ministry had been waging an all-out war for decades to curb the use of tobacco.
"In just one year, users of e-cigarettes and vape have increased significantly. Currently there are over one million users and this is a worrying development," he said.
themalaysianinsider.com
Health Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, citing information from the National Poison Centre, said that the nicotine liquid in e-cigarettes could harm or kill a person, adding that the centre based in the Universiti Sains Malaysia revealed that 1ml of e-cigarette refill could contain 4mg of nicotine
"That means, there are 100mg of nicotine in a 25ml vape liquid bottle and it only takes 40mg to harm or kill an adult, " he said in a press conference on Ops Kepialu (typhoid) yesterday.
Dr Hisham said that if it were made accessible to children and students, it would be very dangerous because the amount of the nicotine in vape liquid was not known.
"I am concerned because the content of the nicotine looks like a syrup. If someone drinks it or misuses it, it will be very detrimental to their health," he said, adding that people do add drugs in them.