Kuala Lumpur: The fate of a US-based vape manufacturer producing cannabis-related products in Malaysia will be decided by the Cabinet, says health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad.
Speaking on the sidelines of the APHM International Healthcare Conference & Exhibition 2025, Dzulkefly said the issue involving Ispire Technology Inc would require the input of several ministries and government agencies.
“I will have to present (the matter) to the Cabinet. From there, we will decide on a stance.
“Several bodies are involved in this issue such as the investment, trade and industry ministry, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, and the domestic trade and cost of living ministry,” he told reporters.
Health think tank CodeBlue recently reported that Ispire, which produces nicotine and cannabis-related vaping products, had said that its devices were used by clients to fill cartridges with cannabis oils in global markets.
According to an investor presentation in Las Vegas in April published on YouTube on May 6, Ispire produces “mainly cannabis-related products” in its Malaysian manufacturing facility, which has up to seven production lines.
In a statement last week, the health ministry confirmed that the government had issued Ispire an interim nicotine manufacturing licence to produce e-cigarettes with nicotine in its plant in Johor, together with local council approval.
However, CodeBlue noted that the ministry’s June 2 statement did not mention the plant’s production of cannabis vaporisers, which reportedly began in February 2024.
On June 5, Kuala Langat MP Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi called for a police investigation into the vape factory’s operations.
GP consultation fee revision
Separately, Dzulkefly said his ministry had submitted its plans to the National Cost of Living Committee to address the long-standing issue of revising general practitioner (GP) consultation fees.
“The committee has requested that the matter be brought to the executive committee chaired by deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
“There is no fixed date for discussions yet, but it will be soon,” he added.
Yesterday, the Medical Practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia (MPCAM) warned the government against deregulating GP consultation fees without setting a minimum rate.
MPCAM president Dr Soo Tai Kang said such a move would lead to unhealthy competition in the industry, particularly in urban areas where 80% of GP clinics operate and depend heavily on panel patients.
Soo said MPCAM supported setting consultation fees at between RM50 and RM80, with reviews every three years.
On June 5, the Malaysian Medical Association called on the government to approve a long-pending increase in GP consultation fees, warning that delays threatened the survival of primary care clinics nationwide.
Dzulkefly said on May 3 that the matter would be resolved “within one month”, and that a Cabinet memorandum and circular had already been prepared.
