Vaping becomes more tightly regulated under Australia’s new law
Olaf Schwerke/Alamy
The Australian government is seeking to eradicate recreational e-cigarettes by banning nicotine-free e-cigarettes and only allowing pharmacies to sell nicotine-containing e-cigarettes to people with a prescription in medical packaging. .
Australia’s Minister of Health Mark Butler said in a May 2 press release that “vaping is creating a whole new generation of nicotine addictions in our community.” pose a threat.”
Since 2021, Australia has allowed pharmacies to sell nicotine-containing e-cigarettes only to people prescribed by a doctor to help them quit smoking. It can be purchased legally at petrol stations and other retail outlets.
Because of the difficulty in regulating these nicotine-free e-cigarettes, “there are many cases where products are falsely labeled as nicotine-free or do not list nicotine in their ingredients,” said Melbourne. said Oliver Jones of RMIT University.
These nicotine-containing products, often presented in bright packaging with fruity flavors, keep young people hooked, according to Becky Freeman of the University of Sydney. 5.3% used e-cigarettes in 2019, nearly double the number in 2016.
Courtney Burns of the University of Newcastle, Australia, says, “While vaping was first introduced as a tool for adults to quit or reduce smoking, these devices are It is used by young people who have never smoked.”
To address this, the government will ban nicotine-free e-cigarettes and tighten rules for prescription-only nicotine e-cigarettes. They can contain less nicotine, have limited flavors and colors, and are sold in pharmaceutical-like packaging. Disposable electronic cigarettes are prohibited.
In a speech to Australia’s National Press Club on May 2, Butler said: “These are supposed to be pharmaceuticals and should be presented as such. No more bubblegum flavors or pink unicorn packaging.” said. No implementation timeline has been announced.
Australia has one of the lowest smoking rates in the world, with just 11% of people over the age of 15 smoking a day. This was achieved by introducing plain packaging with mandatory tobacco health warnings, imposing taxes to raise costs, and banning smoking in many public areas.
Butler said it was important to crack down on recreational e-cigarettes to ensure those benefits weren’t undermined. “We will not stand by and allow e-cigarettes to create another generation of nicotine addicts.”
“This decision may have unintended consequences. For example, restricting e-cigarettes may cause people to revert to traditional cigarettes, which is obviously bad, but the potential I think it’s low, so today’s announcement is a welcome move by the government,” Jones said.
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