Not such a g’day for vapers and smokers down under as the government rubber stamps Australia’s harsh nicotine law.
On hearing the ruling, Australian advocacy group Legalise Vaping warned that lives will be lost as vapers return to smoking in their droves, and says the ‘gloves are now off…‘
The new legislation will mean that from October 2021, nicotine for use in e-liquids can only be obtained via a prescription, and with many doctors anti-vaping, the demand may not be met.
It wasn’t all bad news though, a move by the idiotic health minister Greg Hunt – yes it rhymes – had tried to ban the importation of ALL vape devices.
However thanks to a ‘rebellion’ by 28 Coalitions MPs and senators, Hunt has backed away from the total ban.
Greg Hunt MP
Liberal senator Hollie Hughes said:
After the TGA and Hunt announcements, it’s clear they’ve listened, reversed position on the regulation, and that’s no longer on the table.
We welcome that move.
We’ve gone from an attempt to restrict vaping to what is fundamentally the status quo [on personal importation] with a step to legalisation through a national prescription scheme.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration says allowing the import of vape devices may sweeten the pill of the new nicotine rules adding:
…individuals attempting to import commercial quantities of nicotine e-cigarettes and liquid nicotine may be subject to importation and seizure of products and potential fines under existing regulation.
One member of the TGA that supported the ban told the media there was no proof vaping helped smokers quit:
…while some individual smokers have successfully used nicotine e-cigarettes to quit smoking, evidence at a population level is lacking.
Without any hard figures to hand, I still call BS on that one…
Australian vape advocacy group, Legalise Vaping vowed to fight on.
Spokesman Brian Marlow said:
The TGA’S decision to implement an October 2021 prescription only model for nicotine vaping is a slap in the face for Australia’s 500,000 vapers who have done the right thing and quit smoking for good.
At the recent Senate Inquiry into Tobacco Harm Reduction, we heard from public health experts, tobacco treatment specialists, vapers and even frontline health workers who all outlined why a prescription model simply will never work and will drive vapers back to smoking.
harsh penalties if caught with illegal nicotine in Australia
Yet the TGA has ignored all of the overwhelming evidence and is pushing ahead with a prescription model anyway.
Legalise Vaping Australia is calling on all pro-vaping MPs to fight back against the TGA’s decision and will be committing all resources towards this effort.
If my organisation has to mobilise 500,000 vapers against anti-vaping MPs, that’s what we’ll do.
The gloves are coming off.
The tough times down under keep on coming and NOW is the time for ALL Australia’s vapers to get involved by supporting, donating and signing up to Legalise Vaping.
It really IS time to prepare for the fight of your lives…literally.
For more info, read just 3 of my articles on Australia’s fight to legalise vaping:
It’s called the AEO Advanced Certificate, and vape giant SMOORE has received the first ever in China’s electronic atomization industry history.
Known as the ‘Global VIP Pass’, it will give the parent company of Vaporesso the edge on its competitors as it will save 30% of time spent clearing customs in over 40 countries.
It’s an incredibly tough thing to get and has taken SMOORE 2 years to achieve its goal and is rightly proud.
A spokesman said:
Applying for the AEO Advanced Certificate is far from easy.
It’s a complicated program involving a number of departments such as human resource, accounting, supply chain, logistics, quality inspection.
According to the customs statistics, there are in total 3,239 enterprises owning the AEO Advanced Certificate, accounting for only 0.22% of the registered enterprises in China.
The application requirements reach up to 30.
Even from the perspective of experts, the application difficulty is similar to that of a Mini-IPO.
To pass the exam, SMOORE set up a program team back in 2018.
9 departments have participated, over 30 training have been organized, and a 7,524-page file has been submitted.
The whole application thing lasts for nearly two years.
Great news and I guess congratulations is in order 🙂
and finally…An Early Christmas Present For Vapers In Estonia…
It’s been such a bleak year for the world in general and not just vaping – nuff said about that – so it’s nice to have one more bit of good vaping news before Christmas…
The Estonian Parliament has suspended tax on e-liquids in a bid to stop cross border sales and smuggling…are you watching Australia?
Figures suggest that due to the lofty vape juice tax, almost 80% of e-liquids in the country come from such operations – wow – that’s a lot lol.
Tax on e-liquids has been set at 0.2 euros per ml for the past two years and the Government seems a bit pro-vape too!
Tarmo Kruusimäe, Member of the Estonian Parliament and Chairman of the Parliament’s Smoke Free Estonia Support Group, said:
Suspending the collection of excise duty will make it possible to lower the price of e-liquids and thus offer consumers controlled and safe products at a lower price.
It has the potential to become a success story if we manage to reduce both the illicit trade and cross-border trade and at the same time offer less harmful alternatives to cigarettes at a more competitive price.
See how easy it is when politicians talk sense and act for the good of the country’s health?
Ingmar Kurg, CEO of NNA Smoke Free Estonia, and a member of the International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organisations (INNCO), was delighted:
Estonia’s example with over-taxation of e-liquids should definitely be an educational experience for other countries as well.
Ingmar Kurg
If laboratory-tested and legal products are made too expensive for consumers, they will look for solutions in the black market, self-mixing and cross-border trade.
Some people give up e-cigarettes and return to smoking, which happened in Estonia.
It would be amazing if more countries adopted this approach…or even the EU: *coughs*
Great news indeed and a lovely way to round off the last Vape News before Christmas 2020 – I guess we’re all looking forward to 2021 lol.
Speaking of which, the Vaping News will return after Christmas, and there might even be a 2020 round-up…
Let’s face it – it’s been one hell of a year!
OK, I hope Santa brings you the vaping presents you’ve asked for – God knows we all deserve a treat lol.
So that leaves me, on behalf of Jonny, myself and all of the amazing EcigClick team to wish you and your family a VERY Merry Christmas!
Yeah, thanks very much for what you’ve done. Thank you very much for your reflections. Okay, stay good, unbelievably rational.