SYDNEY – Australia will outlaw recreational vaping as part of a broad campaign against what experts call an “epidemic” in the industry.
Additionally, minimum quality requirements will be implemented, and only pharmacies will be allowed to sell vapes.
Australia already requires a prescription for nicotine vapes, but the sector is unregulated and the black market is growing.
Vapes, sometimes referred to as e-cigarettes, heat a liquid into a vapour that users inhale, with the liquid typically containing nicotine. They are frequently viewed as a product to aid smokers in quitting smoking.
But vapes have become extremely popular in Australia as a recreational product, especially among young people in urban areas.
Because they don’t contain harmful tobacco, vapes are thought to be safer than regular cigarettes. In fact, the UK government is giving them away for free to some smokers as part of its “swap to stop” programme.
Health professionals caution that vapes are not risk-free since they frequently include chemicals and because it is yet unclear what their long-term effects will be.
The Australian government claims they pose a hazard to public health, particularly among young people, many of whom have never smoked.
