Nicotine e-smokes OK ‘with a script’

The purchase of ­nicotine-based e-cigarettes at chemists with a doctor’s script has been finalised, set to come into effect late next year.

The decision makes it legal for the first time in Australia to purchase and use vaping products containing nicotine. Picture: AFP

Australia will ban liquid nicotine used for vaping, without a prescription from a doctor, from next October in a bid to stop teenagers taking up smoking.

Under the decision by the Therapeutic Goods Administration it will be illegal to possess and import liquid nicotine unless it has been properly prescribed by a GP.

But child-resistant closures for liquid nicotine will be mandatory.

The TGA said its decision “balances consumer demand for nicotine e-cigarettes to support smoking cessation and the public health need to reduce and prevent the initiation of nicotine addiction among non-smokers, in particular in adolescents.”

“Nicotine e-cigarettes have a high addiction potential,” the TGA said. “Of particular concern is the attractiveness of these products to adolescents and the recent rapid increase in their use by adolescents.”

However, a consultation would ensure patients have the opportunity to discuss with their doctor whether approved nicotine replacement therapy products would be suitable.

“A patient’s doctor is uniquely placed to give the support required for long-lasting smoking cessation,” the TGA said.

Vaping and e-cigarette products are displayed in a store in New York.

The TGA acknowledged the question of whether nicotine e-cigarettes are an effective aid to smoking cessation was still contested but said personal experiences shared by many people in their submissions reflected success in using nicotine e-cigarettes to help quit smoking.

The new laws, set to come into effect from October 1 change legislation surrounding the importation of e-cigarettes containing nicotine. Importers of nicotine e-cigarettes and liquid nicotine for vaping are now subject to the same laws as those who buy them domestically.

The interim decision from the TGA, which The Australian was able to confirm a day before it was due to be published on September 22, followed two rounds of public consultation and much criticism from retailers, convenience store owners and “smoke-free” advocates. TGA officials said the requirement for a prescription would help prevent non-smokers being introduced to nicotine via vaping.

The Australasian Association of Convenience Stores has previously described the TGA decision as a “slap in the face” to small business.

“It makes no sense to make it harder for people to access products that are safer for them. There is a positive health outcome that is simply being ­ignored,” AACS chief Jeff Rogut said. Legalise Vaping Australia said the health system would come under strain as “millions were forced see doctors.