Australia To Ban Recreational Vaping

Facts

• On Tuesday, Australia announced a sweeping crackdown on vaping under its biggest anti-smoking reforms in over a decade.¹
• The government said it would take steps to ban single-use disposable vapes, limit nicotine levels in e-cigarettes, and prohibit imports of vaping products, including nicotine-free ones.²
• In addition, the reforms mandate that vapes be sold only in pharmacies, requiring pharmaceutical-type packaging instead of bubble-gum flavors, pink unicorns, or vapes disguised as highlighter pens.³
• Meanwhile, Australian Health Minister Mark Butler accused tobacco companies of hooking the next "generation of nicotine addicts" by deliberately targeting teenagers, with vapes readily available "alongside lollies and chocolate bars" in retail stores, becoming the "number one behavioural [sic] issue" in schools.⁴
• In Australia, it's illegal to sell vaping products, irrespective of nicotine content, to people under 18. However, research suggests more than 30% of 14-17-year-olds are vaping, with the majority of such cases involving nicotine.⁵
• Selling, supplying, and possessing nicotine e-cigarettes without a doctor's prescription is also already illegal in Australia. Nonetheless, a thriving black market has meant such vapes are readily available in small convenience stores across the country.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Guardian (a), ³CNN, ⁴BBC News, ⁵Guardian (b), and ⁶Firstpost.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Guardian. Recreational vaping was touted as a safer alternative to cigarettes and considered a therapeutic product to help long-term smokers kick the habit. However, instead of a recreational product, it has become a public health disaster, with the health risks from e-cigarettes significantly outweighing any potential benefits. While people will still be allowed to use vapes with a prescription in order to help them quit smoking, these reforms will protect young Australians from this life-threatening addiction.
• Narrative B, as provided by The Sydney Morning Herald. Vapes should be sold in convenience stores and retail shops from behind the counter under the same strict adults-only regulations as cigarettes to counter a thriving black market and prevent businesses from going bankrupt due to the latest ban. The right way is to allow adults to purchase regulated nicotine vapes through licensed retailers — which can help the government earn millions in tax revenue that goes missing as sales continue under the counter.
• Narrative C, as provided by Sky News. Australia already has some of the strictest anti-smoking laws in the world. Although it is illegal to sell or possess nicotine vapes without a prescription, a flourishing black market fueled by rising demand and a failure to police the rules continues to sell such toxic products to children illegally. State and federal authorities must target the illicit vape market, which sells millions of illicit unregulated vapes to the young at huge profits, instead of taking actions that are equivalent to prohibition and will discourage smokers from using vapes to quit smoking.