Vape ban takes effect in WA as city bins overflow with discarded packaging

West Australian Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson has defended her government’s record tackling the proliferation of vapes across the state, and sent a warning to retailers who flouted the laws that there would soon be double the number of compliance officers on the streets.

Sanderson made the comments while announcing another ban – this one on the sale of nitrous oxide, or “nangs” – and as a new suite of regulations came into effect on Thursday reversing a federal government backdown which allowed vapes to be sold by pharmacists without a prescription.

WA Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson.Credit: Getty

Vapes can now only be legally purchased in WA with a prescription. But the state’s efforts to reduce their availability is an uphill battle.

Bins in Perth’s CBD near tobacco shops and convenience stores known to sell the products regularly overflow with discarded vape packaging.

WAtoday showed Sanderson a photo of an overflowing bin on Murray Street taken on Monday, which she said demonstrated the scale of the challenge.

A bin in the Perth CBD on Monday overflowing with vape packages.Credit: WAtoday

However, Sanderson said when school-age children purchased vapes, they often did not get them from retail stores.

“They buy it from someone at school, or they buy it from a mate they know or someone that they meet on social media,” she said.

“Cracking that market is going to take some time.

“We’re doing it with education – educating parents that it’s dangerous, and we don’t tolerate it ... and supporting [children] to come off [vapes].

“We’re also educating businesses, disrupting supply chains, and the most important aspect of this is actually Border Force seizing them at the borders.”

Asked why compliance officers weren’t stationed outside known vape retailers like those in the CBD, Sanderson said she was certain they had already visited, and would make sure they visited again.

She said the problem wasn’t localised to the CBD.

“I think any suburb that you go to has vape shops or has shops that are selling vapes and nangs and some corner shops, some newsagents are selling vapes and nangs,” she said.

Opposition health spokeswoman Libby Mettam backed the government’s vape and nang bans, but called for them to be supported with more action.

“Roger Cook governs by media release – you can buy a vape or nangs in countless locations across WA,” Mettam said.

By June, WA Health inspectors had visited more than 2500 tobacconists and reported vape suppliers and had seized more than 514,000 illegal vapes estimated to be worth more than $18 million.

In a recent joint operation with WA Police, WA Health confiscated 41,000 vapes from an organised syndicate.

This year alone, 200,000 vapes have been seized, and Sanderson said a number of prosecutions were under way, but was unable to divulge any further details.

Sanderson said the public health compliance team was doubling its FTE to help enforce her government’s bans.

“I’m not going to say exactly how many, for operational reasons, but we are more than doubling the FTE to enforce compliance here,” she said.

“We are working closely with WA Police. You will be fined, and we will certainly not hesitate to prosecute where it’s appropriate.”

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