East Java MUI Issues Fatwa Against Vape Misuse for Narcotics

The East Java Provincial Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has declared the misuse of electronic cigarettes (vapes) as a medium for narcotics, psychotropic substances, intoxicants, and illegal addictive substances as haram through Fatwa Number 1 of 2026. “We want this fatwa to serve as a preventive measure. Electronic cigarettes must not be misused for drugs,” said General Chairman of East Java MUI KH Abdul Halim Soebahar in a statement on Thursday (16/7/2026). The fatwa, issued in early July 2026, emphasises that the object of prohibition is the act of misusing vaping devices for narcotics-related activities, not the general use of electronic cigarettes. The fatwa explains that misuse refers to the use of electronic cigarettes or vape liquids that deviates from their intended purpose, function, and applicable legal provisions. Electronic cigarettes were originally used as a medium for delivering nicotine or certain substances through a vaporisation process. In addition to prohibiting the misuse of vapes for narcotics, the East Java MUI also ruled that all forms of facilities supporting such misuse or the illegal production of inhalation devices fall into the haram category.