Nicotine e-cigarette ban will see those flouting laws fined $220k

Tasmanians importing nicotine e-cigarettes now have an extra six months before they face a $220,000 fine for doing so, with Health Minister Greg Hunt throwing vapers a lifeline this afternoon. LATEST >>

Tasmanians importing nicotine e-cigarettes now have an extra six months before they face a $220,000 fine for doing so, with Health Minister Greg Hunt throwing vapers a lifeline this afternoon.

The Department of Health and Australian Border Force announced last week the nicotine vaping ban would come into effect on July 1, with Australia’s 300,000 vapers requiring a doctor’s certificate to access the products.

For Mornington business Ecigify, the only specialist vaping store in the south, this week had been “madness” with a rush on products before the ban was supposed to kick in next Wednesday.

Thanks @GregHuntMP for listening to 1000s of Aussie vapers & announcing a delay to new import requirements on nicotine liquids. Greg's doing a great job with COVID because he always listens - even to those who disagree. & thanks to all the vapers who acted & got this change.

— Matthew Canavan (@mattjcan) June 26, 2020

Owner Michael Hill labelled the proposed law “ridiculous”, saying he risks losing his business with many of his customers being forced to take up smoking cigarettes again.

“You can buy cigarettes everywhere that kill two of three customers eventually,” Mr Hill said. “Even the naysayers of vaping will admit that it’s safer than cigarettes.”

Mr Hill said he knew of one New Zealand business who took 10,000 orders of nicotine vaping products last weekend from panic buyers.

Ecigify owner Michael Hill at Cambridge. Picture Chris Kidd

In a statement issued Friday afternoon, Mr Hunt said more time would be allowed to instigate a streamlined process for patients obtaining prescriptions through their GP.

“For this reason, the implementation time frame will be extended by six months to January 1, 2021,” the minister said.

“This will give patients time to talk with the GP, discuss the best way to give up smoking, such as using other products including patches or sprays, and if still required, will be able to gain a prescription.”

Legalise Vaping Australia says with 300,000 Australians depending on nicotine vapes, many of those still addicted to nicotine will be forced to revert to cigarettes.

Bicheno resident Arabella Gaze was one Tasmanian resident who spent this week stressed about the ban.

Mrs Gaze first turned to vaping four years ago, when she had “a massive anaphylactic shock” from a jack jumper bite, where she “nearly died”.

The stress for the ex-smoker was too much to bear, but at her husband’s urging, she turned to vaping nicotine instead of picking up the cigarettes again “which would ultimately kill me faster”.

Bicheno resident Arabella Gaze is furious about an impending ban on nicotine e-cigarettes coming in on July 1.

Australia’s new law contradicts other countries like the UK and France, which have legalised vaping as a legitimate aid to quit smoking.

Mrs Gaze first turned to vaping four years ago, when she had “a massive anaphylactic shock” from a jack jumper bite, where she “nearly died”.

The stress for the ex-smoker was too much to bear, but at her husband’s urging, she turned to vaping nicotine instead of picking up the cigarettes again “which would ultimately kill me faster”.

The Department of Health and Australian Border Force last week announced the nicotine e-cigarettes ban would come into effect on July 1.

Containers of concentrated liquid flavours used in electronic cigarettes. (Photo by Prakash SINGH / AFP)

LATEST TASSIE NEWS:

• Bleeding jobs: Why Tassie’s borders ‘need to reopen now’
• Timeline for northern prison build revealed
• Tassie teen’s three-hour battle for fish of a lifetime

“To reduce the risk to public health through addiction to nicotine and nicotine poisoning, the Australian Government intends to ask the Governor-General in Council to make regulations from 1 July 2020 prohibiting the importation of e-cigarettes containing vaporiser nicotine (nicotine liquids and salts) and nicotine-containing refills unless on prescription from a doctor,” the joint statement read.

Minister for Health Greg Hunt requested the Department of Health work with the Australian Border Force on a new approach to regulating e-cigarettes containing vaporiser nicotine.

The ban will last 12 months, allowing for “public consultation” on the regulation of nicotine products by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

This would mean that vaporiser nicotine products, including nicotine-containing e-cigarettes would require a valid prescription (except for tobacco cigarettes or TGA-approved smoking cessation products such as gums, sprays and patches).

Minister for Health Greg Hunt. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

Under the import prohibition, people will still be able to vape using vaporiser nicotine-containing e-cigarettes if they have a relevant prescription from their doctor, with the goods then imported to their doctor.

But Mrs Gaze said this was a waste of doctors’ precious time.

“They’re saying the only way you can get the e-liquid is going to your doctor and getting a prescription by proving you have tried every other (nicotine) product under the sun,” the 61-year-old said.

“Our doctors here are flat out — we’re a pretty old community here and they shouldn’t have to have me sitting out in the waiting room monitoring me just to get my vape liquid.”

Mrs Gaze said vaping had been a huge stress relief during the COVID-19 lockdown in particular.

Vaping nicotine will now only be allowed if you have a doctor’s certificate.

“Life is so hard and now with the ban, I may as well go to my local shops and buy my packet of fags,” she said.

“The vapes offer me a very good solution — just to have that tiny, harmless crutch ripped away from you is appalling. Particularly now, with no preparation.”

Tasmanian Liberal Senator Eric Abetz has made representations to the minister “on the back of very strong community feedback, expressing disappointment with this latest move”.

Mr Abetz said in his ideal world people would neither smoke nor vape, but given so many people want to get off tobacco products for the lesser vaping product, he was “disappointed with the government’s decision”.

“Internationally the trend has been in favour of allowing vaping to reduce the health risks of tobacco smoking,” he said.

Nearly 30,000 people have signed a petition calling for the legalisation of nicotine vaping in response to the TGA’s ban.

“The people were not given a voice in this regulatory change,” Legalise Vaping Australia Policy director Emilie Dye said.

“The TGA announced the rescheduling of nicotine and the change in the import regulations when parliament was not sitting, and the changes are set to take effect before parliament plans to meet again in August.”

Ms Dye said vaping was 95 per cent less harmful than smoking.

“No one has ever died from legal, properly-regulated vaping products. Meanwhile, smoking kills 58 Australians every day,” she said.

A lobby group says vaping is 95 per cent less harmful than smoking cigarettes.

“Vapers cannot purchase nicotine in Australia, so have been forced to procure their lifesaving nicotine from abroad. Now, even that will be illegal.

“Nicotine is highly addictive, but tobacco is deadly. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide.”

Ms Dye said vaping allowed smokers to consume nicotine without harmful chemicals as they work to conquer their addiction.

“The fun flavours in vapes naturally motivate many vapers to reduce the nicotine in their vapes overtime so they better taste the flavours,” she said.

“Approximately 20 per cent of vapers we surveyed were able to quit nicotine, and eventually vaping, completely. That is many times more effective than any other nicotine replacement therapies including gums, patches, and sprays.”