“This Act covers regulations on the registration, sale, packaging, labelling, and the prohibition of smoking in public places.

“The rules and orders that will be enforced include electronic cigarettes,” it said in an X posting last night.

Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad was previously reported as saying his ministry was still waiting for the Attorney-General’s Chambers to approve the regulations and orders under Act 852.

While the Act was gazetted on Feb 2, it has yet to be enforced.

The law aims to ban the sale and purchase of tobacco products, smoking materials and tobacco substitutes to minors, as well as to prohibit providing any smoking-related services to minors.

Health groups have repeatedly urged the government to immediately enforce Act 852, particularly after Dzulkefly’s predecessor, Dr Zaliha Mustafa, removed liquid nicotine from the poisons list in March last year.

The Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy had said Zaliha’s decision led to nicotine vape being widely available for children to buy, and for retailers to legally sell them.