PM Hun Manet Rules Out Vape Factories and Cannabis Farms, Says Management Impossible

PHNOM PENH — Oct. 7, 2026: Cambodia will not permit vape manufacturing or cannabis cultivation, Prime Minister Hun Manet said Wednesday, citing the impossibility of effective oversight and the risk to public health.

Speaking at the 80th anniversary celebration of the University of Health Sciences in Phnom Penh, PM Hun Manet said he had instructed the Council for the Development of Cambodia, the Ministry of Commerce and relevant institutions to reject all investment proposals for electronic cigarette production.

He noted that controlling vape imports is already difficult, making domestic production even harder to regulate.


On cannabis, PM Hun Manet said he has maintained a strict anti-cultivation stance since before taking office, rejecting lobbying and proposals from foreign investors, including Chinese companies seeking legal changes to grow cannabis for export to markets like Canada.

The Prime Minister said permitting cultivation would inevitably lead to domestic use and harm Cambodians. He pointed to a neighbouring country that allowed medical cannabis but failed to control it, resulting in public consumption and stricter laws — an outcome he said had been foreseen.

Reported by The Khmer Daily Network