Tag: Australia

Aussie MPs Revolt Against Ban on Nicotine Vapor Products

George Christensen / Courtesy Daily Mercury
Coalition MPs including George Christensen have joined together against Australia’s Health Minister Greg Hunt’s unilateral decision to ban the personal importation of liquid nicotine for vaping from 1 July.
The decision, made by Hunt on Friday after parliament rose for a six-week adjournment, delighted doctors groups but has outraged Liberal and National backbenchers who favor legalisation of vaping, according to an article in The Guardian.
On Wednesday, Christensen said the ban could mean fines of up to $200,000 for those who break the law and import liquid nicotine without a prescription.
“This was all done without any consultation with the public or many government MPs including myself,” he said on Facebook “I completely oppose the move, which could result in people returning to cigarettes or purchasing potentially dangerous alternatives on the black market.”
The Liberal senator James Paterson told Guardian Australia his views “remain unchanged”.
“Vaping is a safer alternative to smoking,” he said. “We should be making it easier for smokers to quit, not harder.
“We should safely regulate vaping like virtually every other developed nation has done.”
In March 2018 the Liberal MPs Trent Zimmerman, Tim Wilson and Andrew Laming voiced support for vaping in dissenting reports of a House of Representatives health committee inquiry.
Zimmerman told Guardian Australia he had done so because he was “convinced vaping could play a major role in moving people from tobacco to a safer product”.
“It is inexplicable to me why the government would act during a pandemic – when all evidence is that smoking increases the health risk for those who catch coronavirus – in a way that could result in more people going back to smoking,” he said.
The Nationals senator Matt Canavan described as “overkill” the move to impose fines “for importing what is in most countries a legal product”.
June 25, 2020
Pending Ban Triggers Run on Nicotine Vapes in Australia

Photo: Ethan Parsa from Pixabay
Australians have started stockpiling e-cigarettes after their government announced it would ban imports of most vapor products, reports the Daily Mail.
From July 1, it will be illegal to import e-cigarettes and refills containing nicotine liquids or salts.
New Zealand’s leading retailer of vaping supplies, Shosha, recorded a 130 percent spike in sales from Australia since the announcement. Shosha also experienced a 44 percent increase in foot traffic compared to the same time last year.
Under Australia’s new regulations, individuals would need to visit a doctor and be issued a prescription to purchase their nicotine containing e-cigarettes or refills.
Even valid prescription holders would still be prohibited from purchasing the devices from overseas themselves.
The ban on importing nicotine e-cigarettes and refills would be in line with existing bans on their sale in each state and territory.
The prohibition would last 12 months while the government conducts a public consultation on the regulation of nicotine products by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The regulation would see nicotine products added to the Poisons Standard making them prohibited permanently with the exception of tobacco cigarettes and smoking-cessation products such as gums and patches.
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) has protested Australia’s ban, saying it will deprive millions of vapers and existing smokers of their rights to access better alternatives to combustible cigarettes.
“Smokers in Australia have been denied access to a proven harm reduction tool and vapers in Australia have yet again been dealt a potentially fatal blow which will see many of the 300,000 strong vaping community go back to smoking cigarettes,” CAPHRA Executive Director Nancy Loucas said in a statement.
The group pointed to studies showing that e-cigarettes are 95-percent less harmful than combustible tobacco because they do not involve combustion. “It has been known for decades that tar, and carcinogens found in tobacco smoke, cause the death and disease associated with smoking, and not nicotine,” CAPHRA stated.
June 24, 2020
Australia Extends Nicotine Vape Ban

Photo: Haiberliu from Pixabay
E-cigarettes containing nicotine will remain illegal in Australia for at least another year, reports The Daily Mail.
The federal government is extending a ban on the importation of such products unless prescribed by a doctor.
The ban will remain in place for 12 months to allow for public consultation on the regulation of nicotine products by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
Under the ban, Australians would still be able to vape nicotine if their doctor provides a prescription.
They would get their e-cigarettes or refills via a permission granted by the health department to a doctor or medical supplier who would be able to import the goods using a courier service or by cargo service.
The goods cannot be imported through international mail.
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) welcomed the decision, saying that vaping is not a healthy alternative to smoking.
“Nicotine is a highly addictive substance and there is no level of tobacco use which is safe,” AMA Vice President Chris Zappala said.
June 22, 2020
Nicotine Vapor Import Ban to Continue in Australia

Credit Getulio Moraes
Australia’s government has extended a ban on the importation of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), unless prescribed by a doctor. The ban will remain in place for 12 months to allow for public consultation on the regulation of nicotine products by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
Only vapor products that contain nicotine are banned. The TGA is considering an amendment to the Poisons Standard, which would mean ENDS products would require a valid prescription. A final decision is expected to be announced early in 2021, according to an article in The Daily Mail.
Under the ban, Australians would still be able to vape using ENDS if they have discussed their needs with their doctor and the doctor provides a prescription. They would get their e-cigarettes or refills via a permission granted by the health department to a doctor or medical supplier who would be able to import the goods using a courier service or by cargo service.
The goods cannot be imported through international mail.
The move has been welcomed by the Australian Medical Association. “Nicotine is a highly addictive substance and there is no level of tobacco use which is safe,” AMA vice president Dr Chris Zappala said.
He said e-cigarettes and vaping were not a healthy alternative to smoking. Zappala said anyone wanting to quit smoking would find GPs to be a great source of information and advice.
June 19, 2020
Australian Regulator Rejects Heat-not-Burn Products

Photo: PMI
Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on June 10 in an interim decision rejected a request by Philip Morris Australia to adjust nicotine regulations in a manner that would allow the company’s heat-not-burn product (HTP) reach store shelves.
Currently, only combustible tobacco products such as cigarettes and cigars are permitted to be sold in Australia.
Philip Morris (PM) spokesperson Simon Breheny called the decision disappointing. “It puts Australia at odds with many other countries who have decided to regulate heated-tobacco and smoke-free alternatives,” he said.
“The right decision was made,” said Becky Freeman, a researcher from Sydney University’s School of Public Health. “They [HNB products] are not some miracle product that reduces smoking.”
While Breheny noted that PM will not challenge the interim decision, he maintained that a regulatory mechanism is the appropriate way forward. “People who are looking for these alternatives will continue to make the case for why they are important,” he said.
The TGA is scheduled to release its full final decision in August.
June 12, 2020