Indonesia Health Ministry backs MUI vape fatwa and studies total sales ban

Indonesia’s Health Ministry said it is studying a total prohibition on vape circulation after the Indonesian Ulema Council issued Fatwa Number 131 of 2026, which declares the entire e-cigarette production and trade chain haram.

MUI’s Fatwa Commission signed the ruling, and the ministry’s head of health communication, Aji Muhawarman, said on Wednesday the fatwa strengthens protection of the public, especially children and young people, according to ANTARA.

The fatwa covers production and trade, not only use

The ruling does not stop at personal use. MUI declares haram the full business chain of electronic cigarettes, or REL, from production through commerce.

The council cites three grounds: harm to health, environmental damage, and the intent to block vapes as a route for distributing narcotics, psychotropic substances and other addictive substances. It also urged the government and the House of Representatives to draft legislation prohibiting vaping and setting sanctions.

PP 28/2024 remains the rule in force while a wider ban is studied

Existing controls sit in Government Regulation Number 28 of 2024. According to the ministry, that regulation sets age limits on users and sales, restricts advertising and promotion, and governs product contents.

A general vape ban has not been enacted. The ministry said it will keep reviewing and strengthening e-cigarette control policy on public health grounds, including a plan to prohibit vape circulation entirely.

A religious ruling is not a statute

The fatwa is a legal opinion under Islamic law, and the ministry’s own statement separates it from binding regulation. ANTARA reports the ministry’s support for the fatwa’s protective aim; the plan for a total ban appears in the ministry’s remarks carried by MUI’s website, which describe a review in progress rather than a decision.

The ministry frames its concern around children and adolescents, and calls on parents, teachers and managers of educational institutions to help limit nicotine exposure.

Muhawarman also warned that vaping devices can be modified to deliver narcotics and psychotropic substances, describing this as a collective threat.

Manufacturers and exporters face a licensing question, not a rule change yet

Analysis: for companies supplying Indonesia, the immediate compliance baseline stays PP 28/2024, so age-of-sale, advertising and content obligations remain the operative checks while the ministry’s ban review runs. A formal prohibition would need a legal instrument, and the fatwa alone does not set one, so shipment timing and distributor contracts depend on how quickly the government and DPR respond to MUI’s legislative request. The source gives no timetable.

Enforcement signals are already visible in police and navy actions

Those items are referenced by headline only in the source.

What happens next sits with two bodies MUI addressed directly: the government, through the Health Ministry’s policy review, and the DPR, which the council asked to legislate a prohibition and sanctions. Neither has a date attached in the source material.

Questions readers ask

Does Fatwa 131 of 2026 ban vape sales in Indonesia?

The fatwa declares the production and trade chain of e-cigarettes haram under Islamic law. It is a religious ruling, and MUI separately asked the government and the DPR to draft legislation prohibiting vaping with sanctions.

Which regulation currently applies to e-cigarettes in Indonesia?

The Health Ministry points to Government Regulation Number 28 of 2024, which covers age limits on users and sales, advertising and promotion controls, and rules on product contents.