For the past few years Australia has taken an increasingly tougher stance on vaping. With flavour bans and non-prescriptive buying made illegal, but the country has taken a step further in the wrong direction. A new initiative is due to come into effect that will severely impact vapers as Australia plan to ban non-prescribed vaping.
Funded by a $234 million AUD budget, the scheme will implement tougher restrictions on vapes sold in the country. Firstly only smokers that are quitting will have access to vapes. The sale of e-cigs and liquid will only include pharmacies. Also they will only be purchasable if you have a prescription from a doctor. The government will impose restrictions on flavors and mandate that packaging for vaping products be plain and prominently display health warnings.
Another unsurprising change will be an outright ban on disposables. These single use devices take the blame for youth vaping across the world. Mainly due to the ease of access from retailers selling them to underage vapers. They’re also terrible for the environment as most disposable vapes aren’t properly disposed of. These devices are simplistic and definitely have their use. They’re a great stepping stone for new vapers to transition onto a more traditional vape. They’re also great for social smokers, who only occasionally smoke. Instead of buying a pack of cigarettes, they can buy a single disposable vape which are 95% healthier than smoking.
Currently in Australia you’re only meant to be able to buy vapes in tobacco or menthol with a prescription. But, this caused a growing black market. This ban will also implement stricter importation laws to help combat this. Also included will be products that are nicotine free, to prevent law exploits and loopholes.
A silver lining.
The good news is that e-cigarettes and e-liquid aren’t facing an outright ban, as they’re still an extremely effective stop smoking tool. Along with the vaping reforms, prescriptions for nicotine containing products and devices will be easier to obtain. Also, tighter standards will be enforced in pharmacies. This will help reassure vapers that the products will be of the highest quality.
The Vaping Smear Campaign
The government plans to allocate $63 million from the budget towards an “evidence-based” public health information campaign. This intends to address the hazards associated with smoking and vaping. Although this campaign could raise awareness of the risks of non-smokers taking up vaping, it is likely to follow a similar pattern to the US campaigns. These have been shown to be driven by deceptive research and half-truths.
The Global Impact Of The Australian Ban On Vaping
But as Australia plan to ban non-prescribed vaping, this could have a global impact. While we’re less likely to see similar policies enforced in the UK, changes based on this could occur. Scotland have already discussed banning disposable vapes. If the environmental benefits of this ban are positive, it could see other countries taking a similar stance. Also, the restrictions on packaging could be another change that could occur globally. Numerous countries are reporting growth in youth vaping. Disposables and bright colours of packaging are some of the major points of focus.
Disposable Alternatives
With the threat of an outright ban of disposable vapes, what choice is there for single use vapers? Well there are a number of disposable alternatives that are available. These devices offer a solution that is more environmentally friendly and much better value for money.
If you have any questions about vaping then feel free to contact us. Our friendly customer service team are always happy to help.
