Press conference in Q4 of 2026: the launch of the MOVE website and the publication of our commissioned research. Media only. Event details
Press conference in Q4 of 2026: the launch of the MOVE website and the publication of our commissioned research. Media only. Event details
The law
A state cannot repeal federal law. What a state can do is decline to issue or renew the business licence a shop needs in order to trade, using local authority licensing powers under the Local Government Act 1976.
This results in a product that is legal to own, legal to manufacture, registered with the Ministry of Health and subject to federal excise duty, but no longer licensed for sale in seven states.
Dates are the date the restriction took effect. One of the seven is contested: Perak’s licensing decision is the subject of a judicial review filed in the Ipoh High Court on 18 March 2026 by an industry association and a vape retailer. It asks whether the state acted within its powers. The respondents are the Perak State Government, the Menteri Besar and the Tanjong Malim District Council. The matter had not been decided as at 23 October 2026, and no hearing date has been reported.
| State | Since | What was done |
|---|---|---|
| Kelantan | 2013 | Local authorities have issued no licence for vape sale since 2013, the earliest state-level restriction in the country. The licence freeze was still in effect through the 2025 wave, and the state said in October 2026 that it issues no business licence for vape sale. |
| Johor | 1 January 2016 | Stopped issuing vape sale licences, following a decree by the Sultan of Johor. |
| Terengganu | 1 August 2025 | Statewide prohibition on sale takes effect, announced on 24 April 2025 with a grace period from 1 May to 31 July 2025, and executed through local authority by-laws under the Local Government Act 1976. Vape advertising is prohibited statewide at the same time. |
| Perlis | 1 August 2025 | Statewide prohibition on sale takes effect on the same date as Terengganu, announced by the Menteri Besar on 14 May 2025 and executed through local authority licensing. |
| Pahang | 1 January 2026 | All eleven local authorities stopped issuing and renewing vape premise licences from August 2025. Sale was prohibited from 1 January 2026, the state's local government committee chairman said on 31 December 2025, and traders had until 31 December 2025 to clear stock. |
| Kedah | From early 2026 | Vape business licences are not renewed on expiry. Most expired in December 2025, with enforcement from early 2026. The Menteri Besar said in May 2025 that the state chose non-renewal rather than an outright ban. |
| Perak | 1 January 2026 | No new licences issued and no renewals from 1 January 2026, across all local authorities, using licensing powers under the Local Government Act 1976. Decided by the state executive council on 22 September 2025 and announced on 1 October 2025, affecting more than 60 licensed premises across 15 local authorities. Traders holding unexpired licences were given until October 2026 to stop selling. As at 23 October 2026 we have not seen a report that sales have ended, or that the October deadline has moved. The seventh state to restrict. |
| Selangor | Under consideration | Drafting a state policy paper on vape control, in line with the direction the Ministry of Health sets. The state government told the state assembly in November 2025 that it would need to consider a separate state ban if no federal decision came in 2026. No decision has been made, and no restriction is in force at the date of this review. |
| Sarawak | Not in force | Agreed in principle, not in force. The State Cabinet agreed in November 2025 to phase in a ban, and the Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development said on 4 July 2026 that the state had agreed in principle to ban vape. Her ministry has drafted a law covering sale and use, and the State Cabinet asked it to consult enforcement agencies first. An awareness campaign runs until November 2026, after which the findings go back to the State Cabinet. No bill has been tabled in the State Legislative Assembly, and no date has been set. Sarawak is not counted among the seven. |
Sources: Malay Mail, "Perak to ban vape sales statewide from January 2026", 1 October 2025, which lists the seven state-level licence bans · SAYS, "Which States Have Banned Vape Sales?" · Bernama, "Kelantan Maintains Vape Sale Ban, No Licences Issued Since 2013", 18 June 2025 · The Vibes, 4 June 2025, on the Terengganu and Perlis dates · CodeBlue, "States Praised For Banning Vape That's Legal At Federal Level", April 2025 · New Straits Times, 24 April 2025 and Free Malaysia Today, 24 April 2025, on the Terengganu date and its grace period · The Star, 24 April 2025, on the Terengganu advertising ban · Bernama, 14 May 2025, on Perlis · New Straits Times, 7 August 2025 and New Straits Times, 31 December 2025, on Pahang · Free Malaysia Today, 14 May 2025 and Free Malaysia Today, 22 May 2025, on Kedah · Bernama, "Perak Vape Ban: Traders Given Until October To Comply", 5 January 2026 · New Straits Times, 1 October 2025, on the Perak announcement, the executive council decision of 22 September 2025 and the premises affected · CodeBlue, 24 August 2026, which names the Local Government Act 1976 as the basis for Perak's decision and reports the judicial review filed in the Ipoh High Court on 18 March 2026 · New Straits Times, "Perak stands firm on vape sales ban despite court challenge", 21 August 2026, which names the respondents to the judicial review · Kosmo, 15 October 2026, on Kelantan · Selangor State Legislative Assembly written answers of November 2025, on the policy paper, November 2025, on a separate state ban and May 2026, on the policy paper being drafted · The Star, 15 November 2025, on the Sarawak State Cabinet decision · Utusan Borneo, 4 July 2026, The Sun, 7 July 2026, on the draft law and DayakDaily, 7 July 2026, on the awareness campaign, on Sarawak · Utusan Sarawak, 20 October 2026, on the October sitting of the State Legislative Assembly
MOVE, Malaysian Organization of Vape Entity, "State by state", last reviewed 23 October 2026, move-malaysia.org/state-restrictions.
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