Illegal e-cigarettes are flooding the market in Australia, despite the country having one of the toughest e-cigarette laws in the world. Activists and shop owners are now calling on the Australian government to reconsider and open up the market.
"The demand for e-cigarettes with nicotine is huge. But with today's rules, it is illegal to buy e-liquid with nicotine without a doctor's prescription. It's too complicated and has led to an overwhelming amount of black market trade," says shop owner Peter Thompsson to The Western Weekend magazine.
Prescription nicotine only
In October last year, Australia introduced a strict ban on importing nicotine liquid for personal use. This was the result of a long process whereby doctors would eventually be the only ones allowed to write prescriptions for smokers who want to quit using e-cigarettes. After that, only pharmacies would be allowed to dispense the e-liquid. The idea was to reduce use among young people while controlling the trade in nicotine in the country.
"Selling nicotine e-liquid has never been allowed in Australia. But it has been relatively easy to import it yourself. With the new system, that possibility was closed." said the doctor and quit-smoker Colin Mendelsohn in a article on the situation in Australia ahead of the new law.
90 percent is a black market
It has now emerged that the trade in nicotine and e-cigarettes in Australia has not decreased since the law was introduced at the end of 2021. Quite the opposite. While supply has increased significantly, almost 90% of sales are now made on the black market. And this is mainly where young people buy e-cigarettes, according to Peter Thompson, who runs a specialized e-cigarette shop in Sydney. Vape shops in Australia have long provided only nicotine-free e-liquid and hardware, and according to Peter Thompson the age checks in the vejpshoppers are very strict.
"But mass-produced disposable models, with very high nicotine strength, are now appearing in regular convenience stores. They are easy to order and bring home from factories in China and then sold under the counter in shops. So it's very easy for someone under 18 to get hold of them," he adds. The Western Weekender.
Over one million 1TP8 users - despite ban
Although vejp is virtually illegal in Australia, 1.1 million Australians currently use e-cigarettes. The organization Legalize Vaping Australia has been campaigning for several years for the government to take a different line on the issue of vejpning and harm reduction.
"Vape products exist to reduce the risks of cigarette smoking. Adults should be able to buy the products, if they can show a valid ID." says Philip Marlow, who heads the organization. "We know that it works well, because basically all of Europe allows it, as well as New Zealand and Canada. Instead, we let the criminals do the trading and hope no one gets hurt in the end," he told The Western Weekend.
But according to the Australian Department of Trade, the law is working as intended. The whole idea is that e-cigarettes with nicotine should be part of a doctor-led treatment, not a free consumer product.
"The law aims to reduce the use of non-medical vejp products among young people while allowing smokers to quit smoking using e-cigarettes, under medical supervision. There is evidence that e-cigarettes are helpful in smoking cessation, but also evidence that they can cause addiction in non-smokers," a ministry spokesperson told Western Weekend.
