Vape Crew shop offering controversial candy-flavoured e-liquids opens in Manly
A new shop dedicated to vaping products has opened on the northern beaches, as concerns grow over the smoking trend after 14 deaths in the US.
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A new vape shop selling controversial e-liquid flavours such as candy, lemonade and milkshake, has opened in Manly.
The New Zealand based company Vape Crew opened a store in Sydney Rd, the second on the northern beaches, selling devices, tanks and accessories, as well as e-liquids without nicotine.
In NSW, the sale and use of nicotine containing e-liquid or e-cigarettes is against the law.
But it is legal to purchase them online from overseas, as long as you have a prescription which you should carry with you if you are vaping.
Vape Crew Manly offers nicotine products via its New Zealand website.
The website also recommends how people can obtain cannabidiol, an active ingredient in cannabis, without a special prescription — by ordering it online from its UK partner.
The website says its UK partner can ship the cannabis oil vape juice to Australia in seven to 20 days.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said a researcher at a major research institute advised him these vape materials are like smoking anti-freeze with thousands of different flavours.
“As NSW Health Minister I’ve had numerous respiratory physicians express major concerns to me about the dangers of vaping,” Mr Hazzard said.
“Whilst there is more research to do to fully understand the impacts of vaping, I would say, based on advice of researchers and respiratory physicians, staying away from vaping what amounts to candy flavoured anti freeze is a no brainer.
“Most of us live on the beaches because we love fresh air. Where’s the sense in breathing in potentially damaging chemicals disguised in sweet flavours?
“As a life long Northern Beaches resident I would have preferred we had no vape shops on the beaches.”
Meanwhile, Warringah MP Zali Steggall, whose office is opposite the new store, said she was concerned some of these products could encourage people into taking up a bad habit.
“I don’t know much about it having never smoked in my life,” she said.
“My first impression is that I am concerned the range of flavours is there to lure people into a potentially unhealthy habit.”
Vaping was originally touted as a way of weaning people off cigarettes, but the industry has been accused of drawing in young people with fun flavours who have never smoked before.
Earlier this month President Donald Trump called on flavoured e-liquids to be banned, amid fears the US is in the midst of a teen vaping epidemic.
It comes as the death toll in the US linked to e-cigarettes hit 14 this week and hundreds of other users have severe lung disease, according to US health officials who have called on people to stop vaping immediately.
Supporters of vaping say those who have died may have purchased black market products rather than those from a reputable source.
On its Facebook site Vape Crew Manly claimed no deaths have been caused by flavoured nicotine e-liquids.
Gareth Evans from Gaia Organics Australia who responded on behalf of Vape Crew, said they “do not advocate vaping to teenagers whatsoever and are fully compliant with current NSW Public Health Regulations which prohibits sales to under 18s”.
The door is also clearly signed no entrance for Under 18s.
Professor Lewis Adams is a Professor of Respiratory Physiology at Griffith University said the health risks of e-cigarette use are not yet fully understood.
“Due to the very delicate nature of lung tissue, inhalation of any foreign substance is a bad idea and should be avoided especially by young people whose lungs are still developing and by pregnant women because of risk to the foetus,” he said.
NSW Health says on its website that there is not enough evidence to support e-cigarettes as a product to assist smokers to quit.
It warned e-cigarettes may expose users to chemicals and toxins that are harmful to health.
But Dr Joe Kosterich, from the Australian Tobacco Harm reduction Association pointed towards vaping as a safer alternative to smoking.
He said while the best option was to breathe air, for those who find it impossible to give up tobacco, vaping was a “reasonably harmless alternative”.