Australian Pharmacy Becoming The Main Channel For Vapes

Starting from July 1, all non-pharmacy retailers, including tobacco shops, vape stores, and convenience stores, are prohibited from selling vaping accessories and devices. Vendors who violate the reforms will face stricter enforcement and harsher penalties, including imprisonment.

Beginning Monday, it is illegal to sell, supply, manufacture, import, or commercially possess vaping products for non-therapeutic use.

The only place where people can legally purchase vaping products is a pharmacy, and buyers must have a prescription.

Vaping products must be for health reasons, have simple packaging, and only come in mint, menthol, or tobacco flavors.

What will happen to vape shops?

Vape shops are already dead.

As of Monday, Sean Waite is out of a job.

He had been working at a vape shop in Southeast Queensland for about five years.

“It doesn’t feel good right now, especially with the cost of living constantly rising. I personally don’t know what to do,” Mr. Waite said

Pharmacies Becoming the Main Channel for E-Cigarettes.

Associate Professor FeiSim, the President of the Australian Pharmacists Association, stated that some consumers are confused about these reforms. She received reports of customers asking pharmacists if e-cigarettes were available over the counter.

This confusion happened because the government made a deal with the Greens to pass the reform bill in the Senate. They agreed to let pharmacists sell e-cigarettes without a prescription, instead of following the original plan.

To give pharmacists ample time to prepare, the original prescription model is currently in place. In October, pharmacists will switch to the non-prescription model.

The British Pharmacists Association is worried about the bill because there was very little consultation before it was announced.

Catherine Bronger is a pharmacist in Sydney. She is also a leader in the New South Wales Pharmacists Association. She is concerned that pharmacies are becoming the main place to buy e-cigarettes.

"We were completely stunned... and were only notified a few days before the bill was introduced," she said.

"Many pharmacists really don't want to supply e-cigarettes. We are pharmacists, not police officers. We shouldn't control these items in pharmacies, especially since we know minors often use them.

Ms.Bronger requested customers to be patient. She explained that pharmacists need time to decide if they will sell e-cigarettes. They also need time to get enough stock.

VAPES CHILL advocates for new legislation.

The rapid rise of e-cigarette use, particularly among youth, has highlighted significant gaps in existing regulations. E-cigarettes, while often marketed as safer alternatives to combustible cigarettes, still pose health risks. Nicotine in e-cigarettes is very addictive. The enduring impacts of breathing in the substances found in e-cigarette vapor remain largely undetermined.

Regulation is needed to tackle these issues and stop misuse. Without clear rules, e-cigarettes might harm public health efforts to lower smoking rates.

New laws are essential to promote responsible use of e-cigarettes. They will also help prevent minors from being encouraged to start smoking.