In recent years, the underground trend of the Malaysian e-cigarette market has caused concern. Although the government has passed legislation to restrict e-cigarette sales, the concealment of online channels and the abuse of brand keywords have caused the risk of teenagers being exposed to illegal e-cigarettes to continue to rise. At the same time, some companies such as VEEHOO have tried to set a benchmark for responsibility in the chaos of the industry by strengthening compliance management.
Online sales, a “guerrilla war” to evade supervision. E-cigarette merchants bypass platform supervision by replacing search keywords (such as “dzy”, “electronic atomization”, and “RELX 5th Generation”) to attract consumers to enter online stores. Some merchants even mark “only accessories are sold”, and actually complete transactions through private channels such as e-commerce and mini programs, without the need to verify age throughout the process.
Similar to China’s “milk tea cup” and “coke can” and other three-no e-cigarettes, they are circulated in the Malaysian market with attractive flavors such as “fruit flavor” and “milk tea flavor”. Their nicotine content is unknown, and the packaging design resembles snacks, which is very easy to mislead teenagers.
In the chaos of the industry, the e-cigarette brand VEEHOO has taken the following measures to cope with the challenges: online purchases require double authentication through facial recognition and ID card to ensure that minors cannot place orders; disclose the e-liquid formula and nicotine concentration, and take the initiative to remove non-tobacco flavored products to comply with regulations; sign an agreement with authorized retailers to set up an independent e-cigarette sales area in the store and equip it with age reminder signs.
Malaysia has not yet completely banned flavored e-cigarettes, resulting in illegal merchants continuing to supply banned products through cross-border smuggling or local black markets. Social platforms and instant messaging tools have become the main battlefields for illegal sales, and some merchants have even formed “agent groups” to expand coverage through tiered distribution.
Studies have shown that the mixed use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes may cause respiratory damage, and minors are increasingly suffering from decreased attention and anxiety caused by nicotine dependence. Accelerate the introduction of a ban on flavored e-cigarettes and strengthen customs inspections on smuggled products; optimize keyword blocking technology, monitor “disguised sales” in real time and block accounts.
Join schools and families to popularize knowledge about the hazards of e-cigarettes and reduce the number of teenagers who try to smoke due to curiosity. Only through a combination of legal deterrence, technical interception and social mobilization can we curb the long-term erosion of public health by the undergroundization of e-cigarettes.
Tags: disguised and covert e-cigarette transactions, increased health risks for teenagers, independent e-cigarette sales areas, veehoo vape