Gold Coast small businesses may close due to national vaping laws changes.

Small businesses on the Gold Coast may close due to changes in vaping laws in Australia.

A CHANGE to vaping laws in Australia may mean the end for at least a dozen small businesses on the Gold Coast say those in the industry.

A ban on importing nicotine products like those used in ‘vaporisers’ or ‘e-cigarettes’ was announced by the federal government earlier this week.

From 1 October 2021, only those with a prescription from a doctor will be able to legally access nicotine e-cigarettes and liquid nicotine.

Vape Haven owner Octavian Voegele and Manager Alex Pitchag are worried about national vaping laws that are changing, which will have a massive impact on businesses across the Gold Coast. Photo: Scott Powick Newscorp

A vape is a battery-powered smoking device which contains a cartridge filled with a liquid that can contain nicotine, flavouring and other chemicals.

The liquid is heated into a vapour, which the person inhales.

Currently it is illegal to sell nicotine additives in the country but users regularly import the product.

Owner of Broadbeach’s Vape Haven, Octavian Voegele said the decision is a major hit.

“Nothing we sell in the shop currently has nicotine in it. We sell products like the vapes themselves and the flavoured liquid but our customers access their own nicotine products,” Mr Voegele said.

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“This decision means they won’t be able to access the nicotine liquid, which will impact us.

“A lot of the time our customers are those who want to quit cigarettes and wean themselves off nicotine, we set people up to give them the optimal chance of quitting.”

Mr Voegle said he was sceptical about the role the pharmaceutical industry is now expected to play.

“They really haven’t outlined how the pharmacies will provide the knowledge of the products,” he said.

“Personally I believe the government is seeing less and less tax revenue as people quit cigarettes overtime so this is their way of making up the shortfall.”

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and Australian Council on Smoking and Health (ACOSH) have both supported the decision claiming there is insufficient evidence that nicotine-delivering e-cigarettes help people quit smoking, compared to other cessation aids.

Instead AMA President Dr Omar Khorshid argued there was strong evidence that they increase the risk of young people taking up smoking

“We don’t know yet what the long-term effects of inhaling heated liquids directly into the lungs are, and we don’t know what is in some of these vaping liquids,” Dr Khorshid said.

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