Darwin pharmacists receive vaping statement from Blooms The Chemist

A major retailer has advised its Darwin-based pharmacists to not sell vapes to those without a GP prescription, while Alice Springs chemists are unsure about the new laws. Read how the NT has reacted.

Pharmacists of Blooms the Chemist have been given strong advice by chief executive Emmanuel Vavoulas regarding the selling of vapes.

A handful of Darwin pharmacies are being strongly advised to not sell vapes to those without a doctor’s prescription, after the government watered down its ban on the product.

This week, the federal government announced that from October plain-packaged vapes would be sold over the counter at pharmacies as a therapeutic tool following amendments to the government’s crackdown on vaping products.

On Wednesday, Blooms The Chemist Management Services chief executive Emmanuel Vavoulas issued a statement to the network’s banner pharmacies, including its Darwin-based stores, to remind its employees of the health risks associated with vaping.

“Vapes are potentially harmful products and they currently do not have (Therapeutic Good Administration) approval for sale – there are risks associated with vaping, particularly for young people – vapes have the potential to harm health, which goes against our purpose,” he said.

“Furthermore, the addictive nature of nicotine in vapes can lead to the continuation of vaping rather than solving the addiction problem.”

From October, Territorian vapers will need to get their products from a chemist. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Mr Vavoulas singled out tobacco giant Philip Morris and said it would be “unethical” to do business with such companies.

“Some of the manufacturers (and) suppliers of vapes are tobacco manufacturers, the most notable being tobacco giant, Philip Morris,” he said.

“Blooms The Chemist Support Office feels very strongly that it would be unethical for a retail health brand like ours to do business with a tobacco company.”

Blooms the Chemist stores across Darwin received the statement. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Mr Vavoulas revealed Blooms The Chemist Support Office would not negotiate any deals on vaping products on behalf of the store network and urged pharmacists to prioritise their patients.

“I understand that as health professionals, pharmacists need to make clinical decisions in the best interest of the patient – this decision is 100 per cent yours to make,” he said.

“All I ask is that you make these decisions in line with our purpose, which is all about access to health and wellbeing.”

Four Blooms The Chemist stores operate in the greater Darwin region – two in the CBD, one in Parap and one in Bakewell, Palmerston.

In the Red Centre, United Chemists owner Peter Hatswell said he was against pharmacies selling vapes.

“Vapes are not a therapeutic good and they are highly addictive, and they cause harm with no clinically proven benefit for any condition,” he said.

Mr Hatswell – also the NT branch president of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia – believes vaping has never effective as a smoking cessation tool and is concerned their inclusion in pharmacies could lead them to being targeted by criminals.

“Pharmacies are very concerned that stocking vapes will attract attention from desperate people, either in the store or after hours that will see pharmacies as easy targets for ram raiding or break-ins or fire-bombing which apparently happens now with tobacconists around Australia,” he said.

Pharmacist Susan Cheriyan, who works at Priceline in Alice Springs, said the vape prescriptions took some getting used to.

“For me, it was very difficult to identify the exact product, like the prescription is not that easy to understand actually,” she said.

“I have been seeing a lot of people coming but script for vapes, in different forms like liquid, the vaping device or sometimes both.”