The new, tougher vejp laws in Australia are now in full swing. Intensified efforts to crack down on illegal vejp products have led to millions of seizures and the closure of sales channels. The only silver lining for the country's vejp users is that they can now buy legal low-nicotine e-cigarettes from pharmacies without a doctor's prescription.
Since the beginning of the year, over 5.2 million vejp products have been seized in Australia, with over 2 million seizures occurring after the first new laws came into effect on 1 July 2024. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and the Australian Border Force (ABF), with the help of state authorities and health organisations, have seized goods with a street value of over A$155 million, according to the Health Department's website.
Weed is considered so dangerous in the country down under that the TGA is working to conduct inspections across the country to ensure retailers comply with the new laws. Hundreds of inspections have already been carried out and co-ordinated operations are underway in several states to throttle sales. So far, 118 warnings have been issued to companies illegally promoting vejp products, and over 8,000 requests have been sent to digital platforms to remove illegal adverts, according to the authority.
The new rules
Such as the Road Column previously reported Australian rules on e-cigarettes have become very strict. From 1 July 2024, only pharmacies will be allowed to sell e-cigarettes, regardless of whether they contain nicotine or not. However, on 1 October, a small relaxation in the rules was introduced, allowing e-cigarettes with up to 2% nicotine to be sold without a prescription - but only after a 'pharmaceutical consultation' is carried out at the pharmacy. You will simply be given a short lecture on the potential dangers before you buy. People under 18 still need a prescription, and stronger nicotine products also still require a doctor's prescription.
The Australian vejp profile Samuel "Vaping Bogan" Parsons has been one of the most vocal critics of the new laws. He believes the restrictions run counter to international research on e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid, and has left the country in protest at what he calls a "witch hunt for vejpare."
Harsh penalties and flavour restrictions
The penalties for violating the new laws are extremely severe. Companies illegally selling vejp products risk fines of up to $2.2 million and up to seven years in prison. Only mint, menthol and tobacco flavours are allowed in pharmacies, and products must be packaged in plain, medicinal packaging.
The country's Health Minister, Mark Butler, consistently emphasises that the laws aim to protect young people from taking up vejpa. He argues that the government's measures are necessary to prevent a new generation from becoming addicted to nicotine. But opposition to both the new laws and the arguments behind them has been monumental in the country.
"Undermines public health"
Author, doctor and vejp activist Colin Mendelsohn is one of the many people who have strongly criticised the move.
"While this is seen as a victory for Health Minister Mark Butler, this legislation will face significant challenges within a year. This approach benefits organised crime and the black market while undermining public health, adult smokers and e-cigarette users, young people and the vejp industry," he wrote on his blog this summer.
He also makes a comparison with the neighbouring country a few miles to the south-east, New Zealand. There, vejps are sold as regulated adult consumer products in licensed shops. Since the regulation of vejpning in 2020, New Zealand has seen a reduction in smokers at more than double the rate of Australia - and without a black market or significant criminal activity, Mendelsohn writes.
E-cigs and snus are still sold everywhere
The fact that authorities in Australia have seized 5.2 million vejp products this year doesn't tell us much about how much is still getting through. Recently, Vejpkollen wrote about how the latest trend in the country is white snus, or 'nicotine pouches' as it is known there. Snus has been illegal since 1991 and strictly forbidden to sell in shops. Yet it can be found almost anywhere and is sold more or less openly. According to a report in the newspaper Göteborgs-Posten, it was exactly the same with vejp. Illegal - but can be bought anywhere.
