E-cigarettes in Australasia

New Zealand: Following a three-month consultation on changes to the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Act, health minister Ayesha Verrall has announced that vaping regulations will be updated in the next few days to tackle youth vaping, press reports. Asked about Australia’s import ban, Verrall added: “We need a vaping policy that reflects New Zealand’s needs, because we have very different needs in terms of who’s affected by smoking.”

Australia: The government of Queensland has passed legislation to strengthen the state’s anti-smoking and illicit tobacco laws and their enforcement. The Tobacco and Other Smoking Products Amendment Bill 2023 introduces a licensing scheme for the sale of tobacco, expands the list of non-vaping areas and imposes tougher restrictions on vape sales at licensed venues. A parliamentary inquiry into vaping and e-cigarettes, with a focus on children and teenagers, will also shortly begin, concluding with a Health and Environment Committee report to be made to the Legislative Assembly by 31st August.

Australia: The head of the Border Force, Michael Outram, has warned that government plans to prohibit the import of vaping products and make them subject to prescription, regardless of their nicotine content, will not be enough to combat the black market, press reports. “A border ban by itself may be partly effective, but it won’t be fully effective to solve the problem,” he said.

New Zealand: Health minister Ayesha Verrall has said stronger measures like Australia’s planned further tightening of rules on the sale of e-cigarettes would require legislative changes and would not happen during this government, press reports. However, she said other measures to tackle youth vaping, such as making e-cigarettes less attractive and less available, would be introduced soon.

Australia: The government has announced an intention to take firm action on vaping products, including banning the import of nicotine-free e-cigarettes, which will only be sold at pharmacies. Nicotine-containing e-cigarettes are already heavily restricted and can only be acquired upon prescription at pharmacies. The government is also planning to ban flavours and impose neutral packaging. At the same time, they plan to ease the conditions for prescribing e-cigarettes, so smokers wishing to quit tobacco can access them more easily. Disposable single-use e-cigarettes are planned to be prohibited. No specific date for the measures to be implemented has been announced yet.

Australia: The South Australia state government has proposed extending restrictions on vaping in outdoor public places, press reports. E-cigarette use would be prohibited on beaches, at public swimming pools, and within 10 m of schools and 5 m of shopping centres.

Australia: The opposition National Party has proposed lifting the ban on nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, press reports. The Nationals’ larger coalition partners the Liberals have in the past been in favour of the current regime, under which nicotine vapes can only be bought on prescription. Steve Robson, president of the Australian Medical Association, firmly opposed lifting the ban, saying children were already purchasing e-cigs despite age restrictions.