Liam McNally
Melton council is appealing to the state government to instigate a crackdown on vaping products, in line with what is happening in South Australia.
New laws were introduced in South Australia in July requiring retailers to show proof that vaping products being sold are nicotine-free and provide information about their e-cigarette suppliers, importers or manufacturers, that will enable products to be traced.
The new conditions are an interim measure to combat vaping products while the Federal Government works through its plans to stop the importation of non-prescription e-cigarettes and the banning of vapes in retail settings and single-use disposable vapes, announced last month.
Melton council would like to see similar measures implemented in Victoria, with deputy mayor Julie Shannon moving for council to write to Victorian ministers requesting licensing conditions on vaping products, in line with the recent South Australian VAPE crackdown.
A state government spokesperson said the health and safety of young Victorians is the government’s highest priority.
“We have been working with other governments across Australia on how we can stamp out the sale of illegal e-cigarettes and look forward to working with the Commonwealth to implement some of the strictest vaping restrictions in the world,” they said.
The general retail sale of e-cigarette products that contain nicotine is prohibited in Victoria unless by a pharmacy with a medical prescription, however the South Australian laws were introduced in part to deal with vaping products that illegally do not list nicotine as an ingredient on the packaging.
South Australia Health Minister Chris Picton said many e-cigarettes, particularly the disposable variety, are not labelled as containing nicotine when in fact they do – often in very high concentrations.
“ I am really concerned about the alarming rates of young people becoming addicted to vapes, with parents regularly contacting my office about the problem,” he said.
“Data shows the prevalence of young people using vapes has jumped from one per cent to nearly 8 per cent in the past five years.”
Since 2017, the sale, advertising and use of all e-cigarette products is regulated in the same way as tobacco products in Victoria, while police enforce laws around nicotine-containing e-cigarettes local councils are responsible for enforcing other laws.
