Canberra Australia (Commonwealth Union)_The smoke screen behind which vapes have been enjoying increasing popularity, especially among teenagers will soon be a thing of the past in Australia. The country is cracking down hard on vaping, tightening all aspects of e-cigarette laws banning recreational vaping in total. Vapes will now be only available in pharmacies, on prescription, and have pharmaceutical-type packaging.
In the biggest crackdown on the big tobacco industry in more than a decade, Australia also decided to ban all disposable vapes which have been the lure for teenagers given the addition of fruity flavors to the vape. The product packaging is colorful, sold alongside lollies and chocolate bars, and even uses breakfast cereal cartoon genres to create hype among children.
The ban is extended to the import of non-prescription vapes with nicotine levels limited, while the sale of vapes will be only as a means of helping smokers to quit the habit. The federal budget next week intends to allocate AUD 234 million towards initiatives that will protect the nation from harm caused by tobacco and vaping.
Although vaping has long been perceived as a safer alternative to cigarettes, the vapor inhalation of the heated liquid that contains nicotine has the potential to cause long-term harm. Given the rising incidences of teenagers taking up vaping as the product is targeted primarily at teenagers, young people are three times more likely to take up smoking, sooner rather than later. It has become the main behavioral issue in high schools as well as primary schools in Australia. Studies have shown that at least 22 percent of Australians aged between 18 and 24 have used e-cigarettes or vapes at least once.
With an illegal market that is flourishing in the business and lax border controls adding to the nation’s woes, vapes are available freely on the black market and most often found in convenience and corner stores.
A country that has one of the toughest anti-smoking laws in the world, in 2012 Australia became the first country in the world to bring in packaging laws for cigarettes; gone were the bright and distinct branding – drab packaging took their place.
While its neighbor New Zealand has completely banned the sale of cigarettes for future generations, Australia while not going that far, will raise the taxation on tobacco by 5 percent in the next three years in the hope it would curb sales.
