East Java MUI Issues Fatwa Against Vape Misuse for Narcotics

SURABAYA — The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) of East Java Province has declared it haram (forbidden) to misuse electronic cigarettes (vapes) as a medium for using narcotics, psychotropic substances, intoxicants and illegal addictive substances, through Fatwa Number 1 of 2026.

“We want this fatwa to serve as a preventive measure. We must not allow electronic cigarettes to be misused for drugs,” said the Chairman of East Java MUI, KH Abdul Halim Soebahar, in a statement on Thursday (16/7/2026).

The fatwa, issued in early July 2026, makes clear that the object of the prohibition is the act of misusing electronic cigarette devices for activities related to narcotics, not the use of electronic cigarettes in general.

The fatwa explains that misuse refers to the use of electronic cigarettes or vape liquids in a manner that deviates from their intended purpose, function, legal provisions and applicable regulations.

Electronic cigarettes were originally used as a delivery medium for nicotine or certain substances through a vaporisation process.

In addition to the use of vapes as a medium for drug abuse, East Java MUI has also ruled that all forms of facilities that support such misuse or the illegal production of the devices fall within the haram category.