The Australian government will ban the importation of nonprescription vaping products – including those that do not contain nicotine.
Vaping laws are in for a big shake-up. In an effort to curb youth nicotine addiction, the Australian government has decided to ban the importation of all non-prescription vape products – even those without nicotine.
The vapes that are still available will be a lot less fruity and fun. There will be new restrictions introduced regarding the colour, flavours and ingredients that are allowed in the products in an effort to make them less appealing. All disposable vapes and e-cigarette will also be banned.
Vape Ban
- The Australian government will ban the importation of non-medicinal vapes
- Only pharmacies will be able to sell vapes and the buyer will need a valid prescription
- Vape flavours, colours, and packages will also be limited
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around the region here.
In 2021, the government imposed a rule that nicotine vape products would only be able to be sold at pharmacies.
Despite this, illegal nicotine vapes were still readily available at smoke shops and convenience stores. Peddlers have been able to get around the laws by mislabeling imported products as ‘nicotine-free’.
The government has now committed to a country-wide crackdown on these types of outlets. They are hoping the new importation laws also help to slow the black market sale of vapes.
Luckily for some, e-cigarette prescriptions will be easier to get for nicotine addicts and smokers who are making an effort to quit, although these products will have to be sold in pharmaceutical-style packaging (so say goodbye to that beloved rockabilly graphic).
Introduced in the mid-2000s, the vape was marketed as a healthier alternative to smoking tobacco products. But the devices quickly took the country by storm, prompting the first government restrictions to be imposed in 2009.
Today, teenagers and young adults use vapes more often than all other demographics. As public safety concerns regarding heart health and popcorn lung have grown, the government has decided to take the biggest step in smoking reforms in over a decade.
Australia’s Health Minister, Mark Butler, addressed the National Press Club in a speech on Tuesday.
“It was not sold as a recreational product – especially not one for our kids. But that is what it has become: the biggest loophole in Australian history.”
For more on the vape ban in Melbourne and Australia, head here.
