Vaporizers will be available in pharmacies without a prescription after the Albanian government reached a deal with the Greens that will soften a proposed retail ban on e-cigarettes.
Health Minister Mark Butler on Monday won minor party support for Labour’s controversial plan that would have originally limited vape access to prescription pharmacy sales.
While the ban will be in effect from July 1 as originally intended, starting in October people will be able to purchase vaporizers behind the counter after a conversation with a pharmacist about the health harms associated with vaping.
But the Pharmacy Guild reacted angrily to the proposal, calling the move “insulting” and urging the government to change course in the fight against vaping.
“Everyone wants to keep illegal vaporizers out of the hands of children and teens, but the Senate wants pharmacists to stock vaporizers along with children’s Panadol, cold and flu medications, and emergency contraceptives,” a statement reads. .
Vaporizers will be available in pharmacies without a prescription after the Albanian government reached an agreement with the Greens. Pictured: Stock photography of women vaping
Health Minister Mark Butler (pictured) on Monday won support from the Greens for a vaping ban that would have limited vaping access to prescription pharmacy sales.
People will need to provide a form of identification to purchase vaporizers, while the restrictions will also limit nicotine concentration.
Children under 18 will still be able to purchase vaporizers, but will need a prescription to do so.
Possession of personal quantities of vaping products will not be subject to criminal charges, instead penalties will focus on the possession and distribution of commercial quantities.
Announcing the reform, Butler, who had previously said non-prescription vape sales would be considered if the prescription-only scheme was unsuccessful, said the deal had followed constructive engagement with the crossbench.
“Our world-leading laws will return vapes and e-cigarettes to what they were originally sold to the Australian community and governments around the world: therapeutic products to help heavy smokers kick the habit,” Butler said.
“These laws protect young Australians and the wider community from the harms of recreational vaping, while ensuring that those who really need access to a therapeutic vaporizer to stop smoking can get one at their local pharmacy.”
Greens health spokesman Jordan Steele-John said regulation of the vaping market must ensure ex-smokers are not encouraged to return to smoking.
“That’s why the Greens have focused on ensuring that adults can have access to therapeutic vaporizers when they need them,” he said.
“We have moved the government from a cost-prohibitive prescription model to a model where adults can purchase a vaping product at their local pharmacy without a prescription.”
The Pharmacy Guild reacted angrily to the proposal: “Everyone wants to keep illegal vaporizers out of the reach of children and teenagers, but the Senate wants pharmacists to stock vaporizers along with children’s Panadol, cold and flu medicines and emergency contraceptives.
Greens health spokesperson Jordan Steele-John (pictured) said regulation of the vape market must ensure ex-smokers are not encouraged to return to smoking.
Senator Steele-John has previously expressed concern that vaping users could face excessive costs and considerable difficulties in obtaining a prescription when trying to quit smoking.
An analysis by the Department of Health in January showed that a prescription-only vape sales model could require up to a million new GP visits a year for people to access medicines.
While the Nationals opposed Labor’s push and instead called for vapes to be regulated in a similar way to cigarettes, Butler called on the Liberal Party, whose position on regulating vaping has yet to be defined, to support the sales plan exclusive to pharmacies.
‘Peter Dutton and all Liberal senators now have a choice: will they side with Nationals and Big Tobacco against the concerns of parents and teachers, or will they join the parliamentary majority to protect the health of young Australians during future generations? ?’ he said.
