New vaping reforms to end vape sales from general retailers: experts explain

The Australian Senate is set to pass a bill that will see the end of all vape sales – regardless of nicotine content – from general retailers. From July 1, non-nicotine vapes will no longer be permitted for sale outside of pharmacies.

The landmark legislation will mean vape access will be tightly controlled and only available for sale behind the counter from pharmacies.

The new laws follow import restrictions introduced earlier this year which banned the import of single-use disposable vapes from entering the country.

University of Sydney experts from the Faculty of Medicine and Health comment on the implications of the incoming law. 

Associate Professor Becky Freeman from the Charles Perkins Centre and School of Public Health said this legislation shows Australia has made decisive action in preventing vaping and protecting public health, especially for young people.

Associate Professor Freeman is a tobacco control policy expert with more than 20 years’ experience in the field and Chief Investigator of the national Generation Vape study. She provided evidence to the Australian Senate in support of the reforms to protect young people from vaping products.

“The amended and proposed legislation will end the general retail sale of both nicotine, and non-nicotine vapes, and close loopholes exploited by the vaping industry that made it easy for young people to access addictive and harmful vapes. Vape access will be tightly controlled and all vapes will only be available for sale behind the counter from pharmacies with valid ID,” said Associate Professor Freeman.

“While it is disappointing that the amended law will now allow vapes to be available as pharmacy-only medicines, instead of requiring users to have a prescription, this legislation remains a world-first approach to  preventing easy access to vapes. Monitoring and enforcement will be crucial to ensuring the law prevents retailers from illegally selling vapes.

“Our Generation Vape study found that 87 percent of young people found accessing vapes in Australia easy. This legislation means young people will no longer be able to readily purchase vaping products in the very same shops that sell sweets, ice cream, and soft drinks.

“Restricting vape access is a public health priority. This law will mean that other vaping prevention efforts, like school-based education and media campaigns, are well supported and more likely to be effective.

It’s important to note that the new legislation will not be going after individual vape users, and a key component of the government’s initiative includes support for people who are addicted to smoking and vaping.”

Associate Professor Emily Stockings is from the University of Sydney’s Matilda Centre and lead of the program 'Smoking, Vaping and Mental Health', with a focus on e-cigarette use in young people and vulnerable populations. She says the vaping ‘epidemic’ among young people has been driven by the ease of access to these products and their sheer abundance on the market.

“The new vaping reform bill passed in parliament today is, unfortunately, unlikely to stem this supply: adults will be able to buy vapes through pharmacies without a GP prescription, which essentially opens a door for continued supply to young people.”

“Even if young people can only access via prescription (when clinically appropriate), we already know that young people access vapes via older siblings or friends who on-sell them via social media platforms such as Snapchat. This new regulation will essentially allow the illicit supply of vapes to young people to continue.

“Striking the balance between prevention of youth uptake and reduction of smoking harms via vaping is challenging. We do appreciate that for an important minority of smokers - many of whom already experience significant health, social and financial disadvantage _ access to vapes via pharmacies without the additional financial and logistical burden of a GP visit is a win. However, when accessing smoking cessation treatment, discussion with a trained health professional and provision of brief advice is the gold standard, and it remains to be seen if this is going to be feasible in busy community pharmacies.”