The sale, supply, manufacture, importation, and commercial possession of non-therapeutic vapes is now illegal as the federal government cracks down on the bad habit afflicting our children.
The only place a person will be able to legally buy a vape is from a pharmacy and the person must have a prescription. Under the rules, vapes must be therapeutic, have plain packaging, and flavours are to be limited to mint, menthol, or tobacco.
Local Federal Member for Bendigo, Lisa Chesters says local vape stores will be no more.
The reforms, which passed Federal Parliament last week, came after Labor agreed to a Greens amendment to allow vapes to be sold without a prescription in pharmacies.
From October 1, vapes will be rescheduled so that only people under 18 will require a prescription to get one. Adults will be able to get one over the counter after speaking with their pharmacist, but the rest of the rules will remain.
At the beginning of this year, almost all disposable vapes were banned from being imported into Australia.
Then, in March, came an import ban for all vapes and vaping hardware unless the importer had a special licence and permit.
Chesters says she is proud of the monumental work the government has done to stop vapes getting in the hands of children, but there is still a-ways to go.
Chesters says the Federal Government have had to take a strong stance on the imported product after the industry targeted children.
Chesters says by selling the Quit-Smoking device at Pharmacies it will keep vapes out of the hands of children.
The Pharmacy Guild expressed concern over the legislation which it said was announced with little consultation. Pharmacists are concerned that people will see pharmacists as the new corner store
Chesters says local pharmacists will not be made to sell the product.
The Federal Government’s action against the nicotine product is expected to be followed by further action from state governments.
Chesters outlines the next steps for the reform.
