Australian youtuber and vejp celebrity "Vaping Bogan" has decided to leave his home country due to the government's ban on the sale and import of e-cigarettes. His followers are now crowdfunding money for his move.
The very Australian-sounding slang word 'bogan' means something like 'petty' or 'bum', but with a strong lower-class connotation, and is originally a dirty word. For YouTuber Samuel Parsons, the creator of the 'Vaping Bogan' channel, it has become a word of honour. He is known for reviewing vejp products online and has over 185,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Recently, he announced in a video that he will leave his home country - in protest against what he calls "devastating legislation on vejp products".
- Things here in Australia are anything but good. It is so devastating that it has gone so far that I will have to leave my mum, dad and sister," Parsons began his speech to his YouTube subscribers.
Nicotine liquid only on prescription
The Australian government has announced plans for comprehensive legislation against the sale, import and use of e-cigarettes. Since In 2020, all vejp products have with nicotine have been banned from being sold over the counter in Australia. Instead, they have tried to introduce a prescription model whereby people who use, or plan to use, e-cigarettes to quit smoking can have a doctor prescribe nicotine e-liquid. It was then envisaged that pharmacies would dispense the liquid to the user.
"The model is a total disaster" says the doctor and the smoking cessation counsellor Colin Mendelsohn in a post on its website. "Very few doctors prescribe nicotine and vejpers prefer to get what they need from the black market."
Prohibit even more
At present vejpar 1.3 million Australians. Road users have so far received solder hardware and nicotine-free e-liquid, and even convenience stores have joined the trend of selling single-use models, albeit without nicotine. Use among young people has increased and the Australian government attributes the recent legislation banning all sales to concerns about the growing number of young people taking up vejpa. According to Colin Mendelsohn it is clear that young people, as well as the elderly, are buying single-use models of nicotine through a black market, a market that he says has been created by the bans already in place.
"We know from studies and statistics that 92% of all vejp users buy unregistered products, e-liquid with nicotine, on the black market. Now the government is trying to address this by making it even more difficult to obtain legal products. This won't work, it will only make things worse," says Mr Perez. Colin Mendelsohn.
"Want to help others stop smoking"
In early January, a ban on all imports of disposable vejps (i.e. including the nicotine-free variants) was introduced. But it is a possible future import ban on all other vejping products that is causing concern. Vaping Bogan most. He believes that the combined laws will completely destroy the domestic market.
-"I really have no choice but to leave Australia if I want to continue doing what I love, which is creating content and helping people quit smoking," Parsons said in his speech. posts on YouTube.
He also noted that the fight against the legislation continues, although the Australian government avoids even discussing the issue. He also pointed out that vejp products will remain in the country in the future.
"They will be available on prescription, in pharmacies. These are the products that the government authorises, of course. They are already on the shelves, cost 80 Australian dollars, have no flavour but a nicotine strength of 59 mg/ml. In other words, it's going to be really expensive to quit smoking in Australia in the future," says Mr Mason. Samuel Parsons.
Moving to the UK
Vaping Bogan's channel relies entirely on private donations, and soon followers and subscribers began donating money for the move. Within 24 hours, the youtuber raised $5,000. The move was to the UK and many followers welcomed him to a country without restrictions in the comments section.
