Vapers worry as ban slapped on nicotine
VAPERS fear their efforts to quit cigarettes could go up in smoke under a federal ban on imported nicotine liquid.
The ban to prevent the importation of nicotine concentrate will remain in place for the next 12 months and will require doctors to prescribe and order the product for their patients.
The concentrate, previously ordered online from overseas retailers, is then added to a ‘juice’ which is sold over the counter and vaped.
But vaping advocates have predicted a return to smoking if the new rules prove too hard to navigate.
Andrew Devrell smoked for 15 years before switching to vaping four years ago.
“I tried other methods to quit which were unsuccessful,” Mr Devrell said.
“The act of inhaling is familiar to smokers – it is easy to make a smooth transition.”
He fears what would happen should doctors be unwilling to prescribe and order the liquid nicotine.
“We are in a tricky situation – there is a chance that a lot of people might go back to smoking combustibles,” Mr Devrell said.
He said the cost of vaping was a fraction of what he spent on cigarettes.
“I am spending the same amount per fortnight that I was for a pack of cigarettes,” Mr Devrell said.
Manager of Victory Vapes Cairns, Jason Raimondo, said 90 per cent of his customers were ex-smokers.
“Until July 1 they could get a script from their doctor and order the concentrate online.
“It is amazing that I can walk down to the supermarket and buy a pack of cigarettes but we can’t order the concentrate from another country.”
He said he discouraged customers from vaping unless they were quitting smoking.
“In the weeks and months that follow I can see them getting healthier,” Mr Raimundo said.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has supported the federal ban.
“The long-term health effects of using e-cigarettes or ‘vaping’ are unknown and public health experts have different views on whether they are effective as a smoking cessation tool,” RACGP President Dr Harry Nespolon said.
“This is not a smoking cessation aid that should be embraced by all smokers in the community, it is a last resort prescription for people who have already tried evidencebased smoking cessation options and not succeeded.”