As of 28th Nov 2023, the Australian government has announced changes to vaping laws that will be gradually introduced throughout 2024. The changes, announced by Mark Butler, the Minister for Health and Aged Care, are designed to protect young people by reducing access to black-market disposable vapes.
While these laws are targeting youth vaping, half of Quit Clinics patients are aged 40 and over. Regardless of age, almost every Australian who vapes will be affected by these changes.
When will disposable vapes be banned?
From the 1st of January 2024, the Government will implement a ban on the importation of all disposable/single-use vapes. The ban includes both nicotine and nicotine-free disposable vapes.
Why are disposable vapes being banned?
This decision has been made to close a current loophole that has led to millions of strong, poor-quality, disposable vaping devices flooding the black market. Environmental concerns have also been cited. Disposable vapes are currently being sold under the table or via social media and are frequently being used by young people. While nicotine-containing vapes require a prescription to import into Australia, non-nicotine-containing vaping devices can be imported legally into Australia without a prescription. Unfortunately, this has led to some overseas manufacturers simply taking nicotine off the packaging ingredients list. This dangerous loophole has meant the majority of black market vapes are not labelled correctly. Many users of these products, particularly young people, are unaware of just how much nicotine they contain, with one single device often containing the equivalent nicotine of ten packets of cigarettes. Unsurprisingly, these deliberately mislabelled products tend not to be the safest option, or produced to high quality standards.
Are all vapes being banned?
The Australian Government does recognise that vaping can be an effective tool for smokers who have otherwise been unable to quit. As such, not all vapes are being banned. Stricter product standards will be introduced throughout 2024 though. These include limiting flavour options and lowering the maximum allowed nicotine concentrations. The exact details of these product standards are yet to be finalised. The hope is that the new laws will limit access to poor-quality products to young people, while maintaining and strengthening access to high-quality products for smokers who have otherwise been unable to quit.
Is the Personal Importation of Vapes Being Banned?
The government has announced that the importation of vaping products for personal use, even with a prescription, will be banned from April 2024. Quit Clinics doctors are aware that many of our patients prefer to import vaping products, particularly from New Zealand, where product standards are high, and more options are available. We hear daily from patients who have otherwise been unable to quit smoking, have sought medical advice and obtained a prescription, but are unable to access appropriate vaping products at their local pharmacy, so elect to legally import from overseas suppliers. From April 1st 2024, the only legal option to purchase vapes from within Australia will be from Australian pharmacies. Many of our patients are fearful that they will no longer be able to access the treatment that has helped them quit smoking or that treatment options will be very limited, or unaffordable.
What is Quit Clinics doing to help?
We understand that a lot of our patients feel unfairly targeted by these changes. Quit Clinics will continue to support our patients, and we are always happy to answer any questions you may have – you can email support@quitclinics.com any time, and one of our doctors will get back to you within 24 hours.
Importantly, Quit Clinics is in the final stage of discussions with vaping suppliers and pharmacies, and we will announce a new pharmacy initiative in the coming weeks. We are confident that the launch of this project will mean a more streamlined experience for our patients, particularly for those who are currently importing. For the majority of our patients, we are confident that the experience and access to treatment should be no more difficult, and in many cases, much easier. While we are excited to launch this new initiative, we respect our patients right to choose, and there will be no obligation to take part if you’d like to use an alternative legal access pathway. We understand the frustration and anxiety that many are feeling at the moment, but we want to assure our patients that legal access to a variety of quality, compliant and affordable products will remain throughout this transition period, and beyond.
