Industry group slams illegal vape sales
THOSE who sell vaping or e-cigarette products to under-18s should be hit with harsher penalties, according to industry insiders.
Following reports that schoolaged students are buying nicotine vaping products and have created an illegal black market in Australia, the Australian Retail Vaping Industry Association (ARVIA) has called for a “crack down” on underage sales and regulation of the local vaping market.
“ARVIA has always maintained that vaping products regardless of whether they contain nicotine should not be sold or marketed to young people, just as traditional cigarettes are not,” a media release said.
“We therefore call for significantly harsher penalties to crack down, deter and punish anyone who engages in underage and unregulated vaping sales.”
Miriam O’hare, the franchise manager of Super Vape Store which has recently opened a shopfront in Dubbo, agrees with ARVIA’S stance, explaining the measures they take to ensure people under the legal age can’t get their hands on vaping products.
“We are very strict and stringent and abide by all state laws, all our staff are trained and understand the importance of abiding by the laws set out,” Mrs O’hare told Dubbo Photo News.
“IDS are always checked if someone is suspected of being under legal age.”
Vaping and e-cigarettes have been back in the headlines over recent weeks after the Federal Government announced it would ban the personal importation of nicotine-containing e-liquids, which are already illegal in Australia.
Initially, the ban was set to kick in on July 1, however the start date was pushed to the beginning of next year after protest from industry organisations and individuals.
But like many in the industry, Mrs O’hare isn’t in favour of the motion.
Instead of the new prohibition, she believes Australia should take note of how other countries have regulated vaping and used it as a quit-smoking mechanism.
“Australia needs to look at how the UK has embraced vaping and regulated it as a smoking cessation,” she said.
“The UK Public Health had an independent review done of the effects of vaping and the results found vaping to be 95 per cent safer than smoking and the UK National Health Service has now wholly adopted a smoke-free policy position that encourages vaping for smokers.
“Super Vape Store would ideally like to see vape stores being allowed to sell nicotine e-liquid in their stores, just like pharmacies can retail Nicotine patches, Nicotine Sprays and Nicotine Gum.”
According to the ARVIA, vaping is the most effective and popular population-level quit smoking tool available and is twice as effective as traditional nicotine replacement therapies.
Previously, the Cancer Council has such shunned such claims telling Photo News that, “rigorous systematic reviews of the evidence have shown e-cigarettes are no more beneficial than established quit-smoking aids.”
SHADOW Minister for Agriculture and Resources Joel Fitzgibbon says farmers in the western region have called into the federal government’s $90 million Future Drought Fund which was designed to build resilience in the industry.
“The $90 million announced will allegedly help build financial literacy, create an on-line data service, and improve natural resource management. These are all worthy initiatives which should be part of any Government’s day job,” Mr Fitzgibbon said in a media statement.
“We know the funding won’t go to helping farmers directly to build resilience, but it seems consultants and farming representative groups will be pleased to receive taxpayers’ money to design leadership and business planning programs.”
“Another $10 million of the $100 million promised is yet to be allocated; why, we don’t know.”