Vape crackdown begins

Smokers can’t indulge without prescription

NEW changes have come into effect making it illegal to access nicotine vaping products without a prescription.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioner President Karen Price said vaping products would only be prescribed to people to assist with smoking cessation.

“It won’t be a first line treatment and will come after other nicotine replacement and behaviour therapy options have failed,” she said. She said the change was implemented because of concern young people were taking up vaping at high rates and that could mean they go on to take up smoking.

“It’s still unclear what the long term health impacts are of vaping and the evidence of smoking cessation is uncertain.”

“It’s not a risk free, harmless version of smoking.”

According to the Australian Drug Foundation around 14 per cent of 12-17-year-olds have tried an e-cigarette.

General practitioners are able to prescribe nicotine vaping product to patients if they are registered as an authorised prescriber with the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Under the special access scheme GPs can also apply to TGA for approval to prescribe products for patients on a caseby-case basis.

The third option is GPs can provide patients with a prescription that will allow them to import a three month supply products overseas through the personal importation scheme.

Under the changes pharmacies are able to dispense nicotine vaping products.

Risdon Vale pharmacist Katie Hayes said she was still considering whether to take up the option.

“A major issue is that we have to buy a tobacco licence because we aren’t able to supply tobacco products without it,” she told the Mercury.

“The cost for licence alone means we are going to have to be putting through a lot of scripts to compensate for that.”

In Tasmania the cost of the licence is $1183.05.

She said there were also difficulties in how people who wanted to use vaping products could get access to what they needed.

“For them to be able to obtain product after they get a script they have go to pharmacy willing to order in product because they aren’t available in Australia,” she said.

“No one is going to keep something on the shelf because it may not be what people want and it may not something that is being prescribed.”

Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff said Tasmanian smokers prescribed nicotine ecigarettes would also be able to seek telehealth appointments.

“The TGA changes will have no impact on any other retail businesses, as it will only directly affect GPs and pharmacies,” he said.