Key takeaways
- Only local pharmacies are the only sources of legitimate e-cigarettes
- Local pharmacy offers simplicity, support, and insurance.
- Caution urged when buying e-cigarettes from overseas.
If you’re looking for where to buy e-cigarettes in Australia, you’ve come to the right place. Also known as nicotine vaping products (NVPs), these are helpful tools for stopping smoking.
There are a few different ways to buy e-cigarettes in Australia and this helpful guide will run you through each of those, as well as their unique considerations.
Firstly, let’s learn about the different types of e-cigarettes
There are legitimate NVPs from pharmacies and illegal NVPs in Australia’s market. As of March 2024, the importing and selling illegal, non-therapeutic NVPs are now banned.
Currently the only option to buy e-cigarettes in Australia are via your local pharmacy. The new laws now restrict importation from overseas and purchases from non-pharmacy institutions. But for the sake of posterity, let’s quickly compare these three options.
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| Local pharmacies | Local vape stores | Overseas |
| Nicotine options available | No nicotine options available | Nicotine options available |
| Simple-to-use products | Adjustable products and DIY accessories | Wide range of products |
| Pharmaceutical-grade ingredients, manufacturing, packaging and quality | Unknown quality of ingredients and manufacturing | Unknown quality of ingredients and manufacturing |
| Range of flavours and nicotine strengths | Range of flavours. No nicotine available | Range of flavours and nicotine strengths |
| Ongoing support from registered pharmacists | Limited support from vape store employees | No support |
| Product liability insurance | No product insurance | No product insurance |
Buying e-cigarettes at your local pharmacy
Since October 2021, nicotine e-cigarettes have been available in-store at most major pharmacies throughout Australia, including Chemist Warehouse, Terry White and Priceline.
Furthermore, by 1 March 2024, all nicotine vaping products (NVPs) sold outside a pharmacy are illegal. This means any non-prescription vaping product – dangerous poorly manufactured and low quality products you’ve probably seen in groceries, corner shops, and tobacconists – are now illegal for anyone to sell.
All these retailers can face hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties by violating the new regulations. Unless they’re a pharmacy, it’s wise not to buy any NVPs from these sources.
At the time of writing, around 2,300 community pharmacies currently hold stock of pharmacy NVPs. You can find your nearest stockist by clicking here.
Overview of 2024 Vaping Laws in Australia
Why and when are vapes getting banned in Australia? Illegal NVP selling has been banned since March 2024.
The 1 March 2024 Australia vape ban focuses on removing low-quality and extremely dangerous NVPs from the market. Only prescription NVPs available from pharmacies and manufactured in Australia would remain in the country.
The new vaping laws in Australia are a huge boon to motivated smokers and illegal NVP users trying to quit nicotine – they now have a legitimate path towards accessing thoroughly tested and well-manufactured NVPs.
With the new regulations, teenagers and children as young as 5 won’t have convenient access to these products. At one point, they were able to easily purchase illegal NVPs from almost anywhere due to lacking age verification efforts and problematic retail practices.
Unscrupulous retailers and blackmarket actors are the only parties who would face downsides – with their bottom line threatened by stricter border controls and stringent nicotine importation schemes, they would lose much of their market and potential profits.
What’s available?
Pharmacies are currently stocking closed-system e-cigarettes, which are very simple ‘plug-and-play’ devices. There are no buttons, settings or DIY requirements – you simply use them as you would a cigarette.
Buying e-cigarettes from your local pharmacy also has the following benefits:
- Australian product liability insurance;
- Pharmaceutical-grade ingredients, manufacturing, packaging and quality;
- Ongoing support and guidance from your trusted pharmacist; and
- A range of flavours and strengths to suit your quitting journey.
To buy, possess or use any e-cigarettes containing nicotine you’ll need a prescription from an authorised doctor. Click here for more information on Smokefree’s telehealth consultations, or speak to your GP.
Only Pharmacies Can Sell High Quality NVPs
Any NVP retailer’s sensible option is to comply with the new regulations – which involves not being involved with nicotine whatsoever.
As per the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s new guidelines, retailers cannot sell their remaining stock unless they do not contain nicotine – which would mean the disposal of unregulated and low-quality NVPs they tend to sell.
As mentioned, the new laws in Australia also ban the sale of non-therapeutic vapes from overseas and selling them outside of pharmacies.
Retailers who refuse to comply would face harsh penalties. For instance, illegal importation of NVPs will still merit $220,000 in penalties. Also, unless they’re a registered pharmacy, a retailer will face a $80,000 maximum fine for supplying non-therapeutic NVPs to the local market.
Differentiating Between Illegal and Pharmacy NVPs
Let’s take a closer look at the difference between illegal and pharmacy NVPs.
Illegal NVPs
These low quality and shoddily made products are probably responsible for the increased number of teenagers, children, and non smokers using NVPs. They’re usually sourced from foreign manufacturers with questionable manufacturing guidelines. At a wholesale price of $1, they’re sold at a 3,500% markup almost anywhere until the March 2024 NVP regulations.
Illegal NVPs have been found to contain heavy metals, most notably nickel and lead and even traces of human saliva in them. Even if it were kept away from non-smokers, these aren’t the chemicals you’d like to inhale for smoking cessation.
Pharmacy NVPs
Legal NVPs are only accessible to motivated smokers and illegal NVP users who intend to quit with the help of a stop-smoking GP. As prescription NVPs, your GP will assess how nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) did not help with your previous attempt before prescribing NVPs that you can buy from pharmacies.
These are responsibly made products that comply with medical device and GMP standards. Most importantly, pharmacy NVPs are rigorously tested for inhalation safety and are locally insured.
With the new regulations in place, NVPs have reclaimed their position as a second-line tool for quitting smoking after NRT and away from the hands of children, teenagers, non-smokers, and anyone else who shouldn’t have anything to do with nicotine.
Summary
The new vaping laws in Australia in 2024 will not permit any retailers to import and sell NVPs from any foreign or local manufacturer. Again, unless they’re a pharmacy, retailers should step away from the vaping market and stop the spread of low-quality and extremely dangerous products in the market (along with enormous fines).
If you’re reading this and find that prescription NVPs can help you quit better, 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 friendly Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good, including via the use of pharmacy NVPs.