Starting July 1, Australia prohibits the import of all e-cigarettes containing vaporizer nicotine (nicotine liquids and salts) and nicotine-containing refills.
Prior to this, consumers were able to legally import these products for personal use as all states and territories banned the sale of the items. Now, under the new regulatory framework, only doctors or medical suppliers can import these products as long as they have a permit from the Health Department, and vapers will have to visit a general practitioner, get a prescription, and then obtain their vaping liquids from an approved medical dispensary.
The ban remains in place for 12 months to allow for public consultation on the regulation of nicotine products by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
Nancy Loucas, executive director of the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) said, "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.”