Key takeaways
- Non-prescribed vapes banned on 1 March 2024
- New South Wales has responsible NVPs from pharmacies
- Nicotine prescriptions needed for buying pharmacy NVPs
- Only illegal NVPs sold outside from pharmacies banned
- Clearer pathway to reliable NVPs with regulation
As you’ve likely heard in the media, there’s a nationwide crackdown on illegal vapes. These are the vapes you can see displayed in tobacconists and convenience stores.
So, you might have asked, are vapes banned in New South Wales? Importantly, can I still purchase and use vaping products?
Here’s everything you need to know.
The Growing Harm of the Unregulated Vaping Market
Let’s jump back a bit into how vaping came to be in Australia. Around 2007, the first generation of nicotine vaping products (NVPs) arrived, but it didn’t ‘click’ with the market just yet. It wasn’t until a decade later that it started to hit the mainstream when it was reported that around 550,000 Australians were regular users.
Chat to a prescriber
Bulk-billed phone consultations
TGA-authorised clinicians
Nicotine vaping scripts available
Fast forward just a few short years, and the number of regular vapers in Australia has grown to 1.7 million – neary 3x more, and rising by 30% every year. The entry of low quality, profit-first disposable NVPs on every corner is the reason behind this worrying trend.
As they’re available from almost every tobacconist and convenience store in New South Wales, and are sold by apathetic retailers who only care about profits, teenagers and even children as young as five years old are accessing them without any problems.
Irresponsible business practices and a complete lack of age verification have been the key to making enormous profits, all while creating a new generation of nicotine addicts in not only New South Wales, but all over Australia.
What Vapes are Being Banned in New South Wales?
Not all NVPs are banned in New South Wales and the rest of Australia. Only illegal and dangerous vaping products are banned from entry and sale inside the country.
You could buy these from almost any convenience store or tobacconist. Typically bought wholesale for as little as $1 and marked up to 3,500% retail, these were freely sold to children, teens, and non-smokers with no concern other than their own profits.
Due to their incredibly low wholesale cost to maximise these profits, illegal vapes contain dangerous chemicals, high amounts of nickel and lead, and even foreign saliva. They also contain as much as 357mg of nicotine per vape.
On the other hand, pharmacy NVPs are the tested and medically-supported alternative to these illegal products. While they may look somewhat similar, that’s where the similarities end.
Made in medically- and GMP-certified facilities, you have a reliable and consistent product that a stop-smoking GP can confidently prescribe to you if they deem it suitable, and these can be conveniently picked up at most major pharmacies around New South Wales.
Furthermore, they’re rigorously tested for inhalation safety by expert toxicologists and are also locally insured, just like other medicines.
They’re made purely for quitting with your health in mind, not to provide giant profits to criminals.
When are Vapes Being Banned in New South Wales?
No NVPs sold outside pharmacies are legally available as of 1 March 2024.
While this is a fantastic development for Australians looking for a legitimate path towards accessing responsible NVPs for smoking cessation or to move away from illegal vapes, it’s bad news for the criminal groups and thousands of retailers who have been profiting from the most vulnerable in the country.
How Do I Buy Vapes in New South Wales?
You can buy responsible NVPs if you’re motivated to stop smoking or want to move on from illegal vape use, and these are available all over New South Wales in your local pharmacies.
Find out how to access these below.
Go Through First-Line Solutions First
You need a nicotine prescription before you can purchase NVPs. As a second-line solution, one requirement is that you’ve already tried and failed to quit smoking with a first-line treatment, such as NRT products.
NRT products (like patches and gums) are the most trusted quitting option available for motivated smokers. They might not imitate cigarettes, but they contain a small dose of nicotine that may be enough to alleviate your withdrawals.
While NRTs can be effective, they don’t work for everyone. If these haven’t done the trick for you, you may now be eligible for a nicotine prescription.
Chat to a GP
As mentioned, NRT products have worked for many successful ex-smokers. But, you might have ingrained behaviours and triggers that only something that mimics a cigarette can successfully address, such as the hand-to-mouth motion, and needing something to use while having a drink with friends.
If your GP deems it necessary, they can write you a nicotine prescription for NVPs.
You can chat to your usual GP about this, or book a phone chat with an authorised prescriber of nicotine.
Visit Your Local Pharmacy
Once you have your nicotine prescription, you can pop down to your local pharmacy. Over 2,200 pharmacies across Australia hold these products in-store, but any pharmacy can order these in for you if they don’t currently stock them.
Both your pharmacist and GP can advise you on how best to use the product, such as the initial setup, and the number of puffs to take when you feel withdrawals.
The Impact of Regulatory Changes to Vapers
If you’re on a quit journey and are using prescription NVPs, you won’t have any problems accessing the product. Even former illegal NVP users going on a quit journey with pharmacy NVPs won’t have any issues.
The new regulations will only stop illegal NVPs from hooking the most vulnerable into a lifelong nicotine addiction they didn’t previously have.
The ban greatly benefits society by giving them access to pharmacy-available NVPs that are designed purely with your health in mind.
Adapting to the New Vaping Landscape
If you’re a non-smoker who used to buy NVPs regularly, vaping cessation and NRT is a great place to start weaning off the habit and adapt to the new vaping market. It’s time to wean off nicotine and if needed, use pharmacy NVPs as a second-line tool if NRT doesn’t work.
If you’re a motivated smoker who has tried quitting before, you can work with a stop-smoking GP who can prescribe NVPs from pharmacies for you if they deem it necessary.
Keep in mind that pharmacy NVPs can only be used if your GP assesses that a first-line treatment like NRT hasn’t worked.
Smokefree Clinic – Your Partner in Quitting Smoking
Are vapes getting banned in New South Wales? No – responsible NVPs are widely available from pharmacies all over New South Wales. Any doctor can prescribe NVPs to you if they find it suitable for you.
If you’d like to start quitting now or talk to an expert, we can help.
Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around!
If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good, including via the use of pharmacy NVPs.