In a statement today, he said recent calls for state-level bans were misdirected as they did not address the “real source of harm”.

“These products are not sold by licensed players. They’re sold online by criminals operating in the shadows.

“State-level bans on vape shops won’t stop this. If anything, they punish the visible and regulated segment of the market while doing nothing to touch underground networks,” he said.

Yusoff called on the authorities to instead act against drug syndicates under the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2001, with stronger criminal enforcement, targeted raids, and cross-border intelligence sharing.

Calls for nationwide and statewide bans emerged in recent months after deputy inspector-general of police Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said vapes had become increasingly linked to the abuse of new synthetic drugs.

Terengganu and Perlis banned vape sales from Aug 1, joining Johor and Kelantan which imposed their own bans in 2016 and 2015 respectively.

Perak aims to follow suit in October, while the other states are still considering the matter. The Pahang government has moved to ban the use of vapes as a whole.

Segamat MP R Yuneswaran also urged the government to impose a nationwide ban, citing “alarming” data and mounting concerns that inaction could lead to long-term health crises and an overwhelmed public healthcare system.

Yusoff said licensed retailers adhered to the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024, which strictly regulates product registration, price approvals, and retail licensing.

“Licensed players are subject to inspections and oversight. The ones flooding our streets and social media with narcotic vapes? They are not part of that system. They are traffickers.

“Let’s stop conflating legal vaping with narcotics. This is a criminal abuse of a product, not a failure of regulation or the industry,” he said.