The first stage of a national crackdown on vaping begins today with a ban on the importation of single-use vapes in what health experts say will help address growing rates of nicotine dependency among young people.
The new regulations, taking effect on January 1, mean it will be illegal to buy disposable vapes from overseas, irrespective of their nicotine content or therapeutic claims.
There is also a new process enabling doctors and nurse practitioners to prescribe therapeutic vapes, and they will only be available through pharmacies.
It comes ahead of even tougher regulations set to come into force from March.
Here’s what you need to know.
They are flavoured, colourful and popular with teenagers, but vapes aren’t good for you in the short-term and it’s still unclear what long-term health impacts they could pose.
Most vapes contain nicotine, even when they claim not to, along with a range of chemicals commonly associated with nail polish, weed killer and cleaning products.
While marketed as a therapeutic product to help long-term smokers quit, authorities have been worried about vaping’s appeal to young people.
A recent study of more than 4,000 teenagers found one in four had vaped, up from 10 per cent in a separate study three years before.
It’s actually been illegal for anyone to purchase or import nicotine vapes without a doctor’s prescription since mid-2021, and yet vaping rates have continued to soar.
Both the government and health experts have blamed this on a thriving black market of nicotine vapes, which are often incorrectly labelled as nicotine-free and illegally sold in shops.
University of Sydney associate professor in public health Becky Freeman, who led a study into teenage vaping, said tougher import restrictions would help address this.
“We heard through our study that access was incredibly easy, they could simply rock right up to a convenience store and purchase them themselves or ask around in the school yard, and find a contact on Snapchat to get themselves a vape,” she said.
From today, a nation-wide ban on the importation of disposable, single-use vapes is in force.
This means that it is illegal to import such products, regardless of whether or not they contain nicotine, even if they were ordered prior to January 1 and are yet to arrive.
Disposable vapes that have been imported into Australia before January 1 will be allowed to be sold in shops, provided they don’t contain nicotine or make therapeutic claims.
There’s also a major change aimed at limiting vaping to people with a prescription.
It’ll be much easier for doctors and nurse practitioners to prescribe therapeutic vapes to people who are wanting to quit smoking or address nicotine dependency.
Currently less than 10 per cent of general practitioners have sought TGA approval to prescribe therapeutic vapes, according to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).
From March 1, it’s going to get even harder to access vapes.
As part of a second stage of the crackdown, refillable non-therapeutic vapes will also be banned, as will the personal purchase of therapeutic vapes from overseas.
Tougher rules around flavours, nicotine concentration levels and packaging will also be enforced, but the government says there will be a transition period for businesses to comply with the new requirements.
While not everyone agrees with the tough new approach to vaping, Professor Freeman insists it is the only way to tackle the rates of vaping among young people.
She is urging parents to see a GP, call Quitline or seek support from the school if they are concerned about their child.
“It’s a pressing challenge, but we have a window of opportunity to act. Everyone working together is what’s going to solve this problem,” she said.
For Sydney mum Sara Camier, who has two highschoolers, the changes are long overdue.
“It’s important to remember that the kids are the victims here, they’re not the ones in the wrong and we need to do everything we can to help and support them.”
Australian Association of Convenience Stores chief executive Theo Foukkare, who has also previously worked in the tobacco industry, said while retailers would support the enforcement of the ban, they remained unconvinced it was the right approach.
The industry has argued a licensing framework, rather than outright ban, would allow retailers to sell nicotine vapes to adults who want to quit smoking.
“We’ll continue to advocate to the government to implement a common sense approach, which is regulating it, taxing it, and making it available through responsible retailers under a licensing framework,” Mr Foukkare said.
(ABC)
