The measure would follow the gazettement of the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2023 in February, which requires that both tobacco and vape products be sold in plain or standardised packaging.
However, the act has yet to come into force.
Retailers said that once the law is enforced, shops may be required to have their windows tinted while products will be taken off their shelves.
Danesa Nikita, who works at Pop and Dope Vape, said such measures would significantly affect sales as shops would appear less welcoming to potential customers.
“When customers cannot see (a display of products), they are generally a bit nervous about coming inside. (A display ban) would impact sales significantly in the vape industry,” she told FMT.
Ecovape general manager Shafiq Ramli agreed, saying retailers would face an uphill task to attract customers once the rules come into effect.
“The retail display ban will definitely disrupt the shop’s appearance and our business. I estimate a possible 20% drop in customers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Eezwan Lee, the owner of Vapestry, said retailers would be the most impacted by the proposed changes.
“We order from suppliers and distributors and sell to end users. (Restrictions on packaging and display) will actually cause the product to decline in the eyes of both consumers and retailers.”
He also urged the government to hold more talks with industry players before enforcing the law, in the hope of reaching an alternative solution.
In October 2022, the World Vapers’ Alliance surveyed its 415 members across 36 countries about regulatory changes in their nations and found that stricter controls pushed 28% of vapers to the black market.
In March, deputy health minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the ministry was planning to impose plain packaging for conventional cigarettes, and “standard packaging” for e-cigarettes and vape products.
Medical perspectives
The Advanced Centre for Addiction Treatment Advocacy said the move to introduce standard packaging for vapes and e-cigarettes might be counterproductive and could bring about unintended consequences.
Its president Dr Arifin Fii said the idea behind standardised packaging was to reduce the appeal of tobacco products among young people and those who have never smoked before.
However, Arifin said that imposing such packaging on vape products could inadvertently deter smokers from transitioning to vape, a less harmful alternative.
“Standardised packaging for vape equates it to cigarettes, which is a misunderstanding of their fundamental differences.
“This could potentially lead to a reverse effect, where vape users might revert to cigarettes,” he said, adding that standardised packaging for vapes would miss a crucial opportunity to educate smokers about the significant harm reduction potential of vaping.
Arifin suggested that the packaging for vape products incorporate educational messages highlighting their harm reduction properties.
“It is extremely important to distinguish these products from the far more harmful and deadly combustible tobacco products, such as cigarettes.”
Arifin also said the concern was how young people would be affected, adding that proper regulation and greater education would be more effective in curbing underage vaping than standard packaging.
According to a Malaysian Vape Industry Advocacy survey in 2021, 88% of vapers who used to smoke cigarettes successfully quit smoking with the aid of vapes.