The Selangor government will decide whether or not to impose a ban on the sale of vapes and e-cigarettes in the coming days, says menteri besar Amirudin Shari.
Amirudin said the decision would be made after public health committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin presents a policy paper on the proposal to the state executive council.
“Either by this week or next week, we will decide based on the argument and facts that we have,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an event at a hotel here today.
He said the state government will prioritise public health and future generations as it weighs the consequences of prohibiting vape products.
“We are also discussing this with operators (of vape shops) and producers of vape products. Many of them are located in Selangor, so we also have to consider (how a ban would affect them).
“However, our top priority at the outset is the health of the public and our future generations. We need to make sure they are not affected by behaviour that will negatively impact their health,” he said.
Terengganu, Perlis and Kedah have moved to ban the sale of vapes and e-cigarettes, joining Johor and Kelantan which have imposed such a ban for years now.
On May 20, the Selangor government ordered all local councils to seize and remove advertisements related to vape products to curb e-cigarettes use, following a state-level meeting chaired by Jamaliah.
Last month, deputy inspector-general of police Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said more states should ban the sale of e-cigarettes and vapes as they were becoming increasingly linked to the abuse of new synthetic drugs.
Ayob said students as young as 13 have been caught using vapes containing substances mixed with drugs, and that fentanyl-laced vape liquids have been found with effects 100 times stronger and more dangerous than morphine.
