As part of the federal government’s continued efforts to clampdown on vaping, single-use vapes will no longer be allowed to be imported into Australia starting from January 1 2024. The government hopes the ban will decrease the amount of children addicted to nicotine.
Health Minister Mark Butler announced a ban on the import of vapes on November 28, describing it as a “major public health issue”.
“Vaping is creating a whole new generation of nicotine dependency in our community. It poses a major threat to Australia’s success in tobacco control and the Albanese Government is not going to stand by and let this happen,” Butler said in a press release.
He also commented how vaping has become such a problem as it was marketed as a cure. It is now proven to do more harm than good. — something along the lines of that me thinks.
“Vaping was sold to governments and communities around the world as a therapeutic product to help long-term smokers quit,” said the Health Minister.
“It was not sold as a recreational product – especially not one targeted to our kids but that is what it has become.”
This ban will be the first stage of many new vaping reforms being carried out by the government to tackle the health issue.
When does the ban begin?
The ban on importation of single-use vapes into Australia will begin being implemented on January 1, 2024.
Alongside this ban will be the development of a new Special Access Scheme which will allow health practitioners to prescribe vape usage where appropriate.
The vapes being prescribed will only be therapeutic ones, in circumstances such as helping a person quit smoking.
The new Special Access Scheme will also be implemented on January 1.
What changes are being made later?
Starting from March 1 of next year other reforms will also be made such as further crackdown on the personal import of vapes, and a ban on the import of all non-therapeutic vapes.
There will also be stricter rules in place for those importing and manufacturing therapeutic vapes to notify the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and have their product checked for compliance standards, as well as the requirement that all importers have a licence and permit from the Australian Government’s Office of Drug Control.
The government also hopes that over the course of 2024 that they will be able to limit the range of vape flavours, and implement pharmaceutical packaging on vapes. The hopes of these changes are that they will massively decrease their appeal, to adults, but children specifically.
“The government is alive to the implementation obstacles, like all other illegal drugs, there will no doubt be some vapes that get into the country but they will no longer be easy for school children, our most vulnerable and impressionable members of society, to get their hands on them,” commented Butler.
The Australian Border Force will be granted an extra $25 million to enforce these reforms on the import side of things. Meanwhile the TGA will be given an additional $56.9 million over two years which will help on the administration side of the bans, and with the new permits and licences.
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