Australia will ban recreational electronic cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes can only be sold in pharmacies.
Australia will ban recreational electronic cigarettes. Minimum quality standards will be introduced for electronic cigarettes and these products can only be sold in pharmacies.
Electronic cigarettes containing nicotine are still available with a prescription in the country. However, it is stated that the legal legislation regarding these cigarettes is insufficient. There is also a large electronic cigarette black market in the country.
Australian Health Minister Mark Butler said these products have created a new generation of nicotine addiction in his country.
In electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, a liquid containing nicotine, various flavors and additives is heated and turned into a vapor that can be inhaled. This vapor is inhaled and reaches the lungs.
Electronic cigarettes are generally accepted as tools to help quit smoking.
However, the rapid spread of electronic cigarettes in Australia, especially among young people, raises concerns.
Explaining the new regulations on these cigarettes, Butler said, “The big cigarette companies have created a new addiction to nicotine, just like they do with cigarettes, with sparkly packs and sweet flavors. They tricked us.”
Electronic cigarettes are considered safer than regular cigarettes because they do not contain tobacco. Even in England, the government gives them free to those who want to quit smoking.
But experts point out that electronic cigarettes are not without risk. The long-term effects of these cigarettes, many of which contain chemicals, are unknown.
The Australian government states that these cigarettes pose a threat to public health; He says that especially young people who have never smoked before are at risk.
Research indicates that one-sixth of people in the 14-17 age group in the country use electronic cigarettes. In the 18-24 age group, one out of every four people uses electronic cigarettes.
“Only one out of 70 people my age uses e-cigarettes,” said Butler, 52.
Minister Butler said that these products, especially targeting children, are sold side by side with candies and chocolates in shops.
Butler pointed out that e-cigarette use has become the number one “behavior problem” in high schools.
There were reports in the Australian media that smoke detectors were installed in the toilets of some schools.
Australia is one of the countries with the strictest smoking regulations in the world. The new regulations envisage banning single-use electronic cigarettes and stopping the import of electronic cigarettes other than those sold by prescription.
In addition, it will be easier to obtain prescriptions for “legitimate therapeutic electronic cigarettes”. The effective date of the ban will be announced at a later date.
Previously, some countries such as Singapore and Thailand had banned electronic cigarettes.