SHAH ALAM, 18 Aug: The move to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes is a double standard decision, said the Deputy President of the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA), Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman, today.
Mohd Yusof said that the government should also ban the sale of regular cigarettes that have been said to have negative effects compared to electronic cigarettes.
“If electronic cigarettes are banned with the reason that it is detrimental to health, why are regular cigarettes not banned when regular cigarettes are more hazardous to smokers. Is it because of the tax collected?
“Both need to be banned because if both are not banned, it would be seen as a double standard, why is vapor not allowed while cigarettes are allowed when both are dangerous,” said Mohd Yusof to Selangor Kini.
He explained that the government should not compromise by allowing the sale of cigarettes because they are afraid that they will lose sales tax.
He added that the decision made should be based on the results of surveys carried out by the Malaysian Department of Health without taking into account tax issues.
NS