Federal Health Minister Mark Butler has announced a suite of smoking reforms aimed at tackling youth addiction. The reforms include a ban on non-prescription vapes, additional restrictions, and the introduction of minimum quality standards. This comes after an investigation into reforms by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The ban specifically aims at tightening border control and restricting importation, due to many products falsely labelled as ‘nicotine free’ that have entered the Australian market. As vapes have risen in popularity, they have become more readily accessible, leaving individuals to unknowingly become addicted to the product.
The Therapeutic Drugs Administration collected submissions from health bodies, public health groups, and university researchers which have ruled in favour of tightening border controls. Additionally, all single use, disposable vapes will be banned, and minimum quality standards will be introduced to limit the use of flavours, colours, and other ingredients.
Working with states and territories, vape sales in convenience stores will be prohibited. Prescriptions for products to help with nicotine addiction such as nicotine vaping products will be easier to obtain, and vaping products sold in pharmacies will be held to a higher quality standard.
The federal budget, to be announced next Tuesday, will include $234 million to fund tobacco and vaping reforms. In a speech, Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said that “vaping has become the number one behavioural issue in schools,” and that “the ubiquitous and aggressive marketing of vaping products, particularly to children, is a worldwide scourge.”
Australian Council on Smoking and Health’s co-CEO, Laura Hunter, said that “the sales of vapes from retail settings which have mushroomed in every city… [has] gone a long way to normalising vape culture.”
Dr Becky Freeman, Associate Professor in the School of Public Health, said “The vaping industry has lured Australian kids with bright packages, fruity flavours, and addictive nicotine. I applaud the Federal Government’s announcement to end easy access to vapes designed to appeal to young people. These new reforms will both protect children and enable access to vapes only by adult smokers seeking to quit.
“Our Generation Vape research shows that teens prefer cheap, disposable, vaping products that are laced with nicotine and smell and taste like sweets. The proposed reforms ban these kid-friendly products and prioritise public health.”
