Kuala Lampur, Aug. 18 -- With the recent news of the Ministry of Health looking into banning vapes due to their impact on health and society, it is high time we look into the ramifications this hardline approach could cause. Since the time of the prohibition in the 1920s in the United States, we have seen how a hardline stance like this can totally backfire, and with the MOH's current plan of a total ban, if implemented rashly or not holistically, we may see drastic consequences.

Due to data on e-cigarettes being limited, we will look into a comparison with cigarettes to come to an understanding of why a total ban may be regressive. As it stands in 2024, 55 per cent of cigarettes are illicit. This costs the Malaysian government RM 5 bill...