Health Ministry Urged to Disclose Online Vape Sales Statistics Amid Enforcement Concerns

A coalition of Malaysian health NGOs and professionals is questioning the Health Ministry's (KKM) effectiveness in curbing online vape sales. They argue that despite enforcement operations, vape products remain easily accessible on social media and e-commerce platforms, with modern marketing techniques still prevalent.

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The situation creates the perception that enforcement in the digital space has not yet reached a truly effective level. More worrying is that statistics on vape use among students continue to show an increasing trend.

The groups expressed concern that the perceived ineffectiveness of digital enforcement is contributing to a worrying trend of increased vape use among students. They cited statistics showing 19,450 schoolchildren involved in vape use in 2024, according to the Ministry of Education's student behavior system.

In a joint statement, 19 NGOs and 30 members of the National Tobacco Control Council, including the Association of Public Health Physicians and the Malaysian Islamic Consumer Association, urged KKM to be more transparent. They stated that effective public health enforcement goes beyond issuing compounds; it must disrupt the supply and marketing chains that make products accessible to target groups.

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Effective enforcement is not just about issuing compounds to users or premises owners. Instead, it must break the supply and marketing chain that makes these products easily accessible to the target group.

Specifically, they called on KKM to disclose detailed statistics. This includes the number of online vape ads taken down, actions against e-commerce platforms, social media accounts penalized, sales to minors via digital platforms, seized cyber-raid products, and prosecutions for online vape promotions and sales. The coalition believes such specific data is crucial to address public concerns about the control of online vape advertising and sales.

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Therefore, KKM should consider disclosing more specific statistics, including the number of online vape advertisements that have been taken down, the number of notices or actions against e-commerce platforms, and the number of social media accounts that have been penalized.