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Australia’s authorities will crack down on leisure vape gross sales and implement a requirement that merchandise equivalent to e-cigarettes be offered solely in pharmacies with a prescription.
Mark Butler, the Australian well being minister, stated on Tuesday that vaping had been marketed to the general public as a therapeutic product meant to assist people who smoke give up however as a substitute spawned a brand new technology of nicotine customers, notably younger individuals.
“It was not offered as a leisure product and, specifically, not one for our children. However that’s what it is grow to be — the most important loophole, I feel, in Australian well being care historical past,” Butler stated in a speech to the Nationwide Press Membership of Australia.
“We have been duped,” he added.
Vapes are solely authorized with a prescription in Australia, however Butler stated an “unregulated basically unlawful” black market has flourished in comfort shops, tobacconists and vape retailers throughout the nation.
“A so-called prescription mannequin with subsequent to no prescriptions, a ban with no actual enforcement, an addictive product with no help to give up,” he stated.
The federal government will step up efforts to dam the importation of any vaping merchandise not destined for pharmacies and can cease the sale of vapes in retail shops.
Vapes will even be required to have packaging in line with pharmaceutical merchandise. “No extra bubble gum flavors, no extra pink unicorns, no extra vapes intentionally disguised as highlighter pens for teenagers to have the ability to conceal them of their pencil circumstances,” Butler added.
Australia will ban single-use disposable vapes, and it’ll additionally enable all docs to write down prescriptions for vaping merchandise. Presently, just one in 20 Australian docs are licensed to take action.
Butler stated the federal government’s subsequent funds proposal would come with $737 million Australian {dollars} ($492 million) to fund a number of efforts geared toward vaping and tobacco use, together with a lung most cancers screening program and a nationwide public data marketing campaign encouraging customers to give up.
One in six Australians between the ages of 14 and 17 and one-quarter of these between ages 18 and 24 have vaped, in keeping with Butler, and the one group seeing their smoking price enhance within the nation are these below 25.
The Australian Council on Smoking and Well being and the Public Well being Affiliation of Australia applauded the brand new anti-vaping measures.
“The widespread, aggressive advertising and marketing of vaping merchandise, notably to kids, is a worldwide scourge,” stated PHAA CEO Terry Slevin.
“For people who smoke who’re legitimately attempting to give up utilizing vapes, the prescription mannequin pathway is and must be in place,” Slevin added. “However that shouldn’t be at the price of creating a brand new technology of nicotine addicts amongst kids and younger individuals.”
The federal government didn’t specify when the brand new efforts would start.
Based on the International Middle for Good Governance in Tobacco Management, dozens of different international locations additionally ban the retail sale of e-cigarettes, together with Brazil, India, Japan and Thailand.
The sale of vaping merchandise in retail shops is authorized and controlled within the U.S., which has additionally seen a rise in vaping charges amongst teenagers.
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