After a tough year for Australians, there is a bit of good news for vapers in the country. Earlier in the year, the government proposed banning personal imports of nicotine vape juice, however, there was a lot of resistance to the proposal from Australian politicians, the vape industry, and vapers. The proposal was postponed and then more recently it was dismissed as the Senate launched an inquiry into nicotine vaping products.
Australia’s Vape Ban That Never Was
It all started in the middle of 2020 when AU Health Minister Greg Hunt announced a proposed ban on the importation of nicotine-containing vaping products. After a backbench revolt and pushback from vapers across the country, the ban got pushed back until what would have been the start of the new year, 1 January 2021. With a six month delay, Australia’s many vapers couldn’t help but wonder what the future would bring and started stocking up on vaping supplies while they still had a chance. Then came relief: the Senate launched an inquiry into vaping, which resulted in the ban being dismissed while the Senate select committee on tobacco harm reduction began accepting public submissions in a bid to understand what Australians think about vaping before introducing new regulations — this, in our opinion, is much more sound approach than coming out of seemingly nowhere with a proposal to ban nicotine vape imports.
Coverage of the #vape ban backflip in the Daily Telegraph today.
The import ban has been defeated for now but we must double down before it is too late.
Submit your story to the Senate Inquiry today: https://t.co/qyRFw14o2I pic.twitter.com/bD3wzSmwyG
— Legalise Vaping Australia (@LegaliseVaping) October 24, 2020
How Australians Buy Nicotine For Vaping
There is only one viable solution these days to procuring nicotine for vaping purposes and that’s shopping online at a store based outside of Australia. The reason for this is two-part:
- Vaping products that contain nicotine are currently prohibited from being sold locally in Australia.
- It is legal for Australians to import vaping products that contain nicotine from overseas companies for personal use.
The Scrapped Ban May Have Pushed Vapers To The Black Market & Back To Smoking
While one cannot say for sure, it seems within reason to assume that Hunt’s ban would have pushed some Aussie vapers to buy their nicotine for vaping from the black market. It also may have pushed some vapers back to smoking while discouraging current smokers from considering switching to vaping.
Vaping’s Future In Australia
The future of vaping with nicotine in Australia remains unclear at this time, however, there appears to be strong support for e-cigarettes and other nicotine vaping products from both the public and members of the government.
For instance, Michael Johnsen MP for the Upper Hunter in the NSW Parliament has sent a submission to the Senate inquiry examining vaping. In his submission, he noted that he himself has personally used vaping as a means by which to quit smoking after multiple decades of failed attempts to quit. Now a vaper, Johnsen wants the government to make e-cigarettes as widely accessible as tobacco products, and without a prescription.
Watch the video below to see Johnsen explain in his own words what he thinks about vaping and how it should be regulated:
