<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/01/australia-to-ban-non-prescription-vapes-in-biggest-smoking-reforms-in-a-decade>
"The Australian government will ban the importation of nonprescription vaping
products – including those that do not contain nicotine – in the most
significant tobacco and vaping control measures in the country in a decade.
To tackle youth vaping, minimum quality standards for vapes will be introduced
including restricting flavours, colours and other ingredients. Vape products
will require pharmaceutical-like packaging, and the allowed nicotine
concentrations and volumes will be reduced. All single-use, disposable vapes
will be banned.
Speaking on ABC’s
Q&A on Monday night, the health minister, Mark Butler, said
that the tobacco industry was trying to create a “new generation of nicotine
addicts” through vaping and that he was “determined to stamp out this public
health menace”.
It follows an inquiry into vaping reforms led by the drugs regulator, the
Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), with submissions from health
professional bodies, public health associations, individual health
professionals and university researchers overwhelmingly supporting tightening
border controls.
Many public health experts and bodies submitted to the inquiry that border
controls should also be placed on non-nicotine vaping products to prevent
mislabelling and exploitation of import loopholes. It follows manufacturers
falsely labelling products containing nicotine as “nicotine-free” to get around
import restrictions, leaving children easily able to buy vapes, often
unknowingly inhaling nicotine and becoming addicted.
The government will also work with states and territories to end vape sales in
convenience stores and other retailers. Prescriptions for nicotine vaping
products for smokers trying to quit tobacco will be made easier to obtain, with
stronger standards around the vaping products that can be bought in pharmacies
so people can be assured of the content of the products.
Australia’s health minister, Mark Butler, will expand on the reforms in a
speech to the National Press Club on Tuesday, where he is expected to say
vaping has become “the biggest loophole in Australian history” and announce
that next Tuesday’s federal budget will include $234m in funding for tobacco
and vaping reforms, the biggest since plain packaging of tobacco products was
introduced."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
