Nobody said it would be easy. Vapes and e-cigarettes have hit cities the world over like an unstoppable avalanche.
They are widely sold and distributed, and inhaled in playgrounds, at railway stations and on the streets. Users hooked on the tropical flavours and neon-coloured packaging have, for years now, breathed in toxic puffs of hazelnut, apple or lemon ice with little regard for the long-term effects on their health.
The products have all the alluring hallmarks of candy but are laced with addictive nicotine, making them wildly popular among children and teenagers who are too young to truly grasp the consequences of the untested products on their lungs.
Regulating the proliferation of these products presents a colossal public health challenge to authorities around the globe. After decades of successfully educating the public about tobacco’s deathly risks, health authorities have found themselves back at square one, battling big tobacco and the production of sleek smoking devices on the black market.
The Albanese government deserves some praise for attempting to introduce the world’s strictest vape policy. The start of tough penalties for unlicensed shops selling illegal vapes marks the first time a country has banned the sale of vapes outside of pharmacies.
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Labor’s original requirement – that users obtain a prescription for vapes – has been watered down because of amendments agreed with the Greens. So, anyone aged over 18 can buy one of three basic-flavoured, plainly packaged vapes at a chemist without a prescription.
This still represents a positive step forward. But with more than a million Australians using disposable vapes and becoming addicted to them over several years, the policing of these products presents a mighty challenge. It is cause for concern, then, that governments have no realistic plan to enforce their ambitious reforms.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration has not issued a single fine or charge to any retailer or distributor since the federal government’s ban came into effect on July 1.