Watch everyone shift back onto darts…
The moment people have been waiting for (and a bunch of us have been dreading) is finally here, as the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has announced a concrete date for when individuals will need a doctors prescription to legally get a vape.
From October 1 2021, those who want to use vapes or buy liquid nicotine will have to trek it down to their GP to get a prescription for the product. Definitely a move that’s gonna draw mad criticism, the TGA has released a statement stating “This decision aims to prevent adolescents and young adults from taking-up nicotine e-cigarettes while allowing current smokers to access these products for smoking cessation on their doctor’s advice.
“There has been a significant increase in the use of nicotine e-cigarettes by young people in Australia and in many overseas countries. There is evidence that nicotine e-cigarettes act as a ‘gateway’ to smoking in youth and exposure to nicotine in adolescents can have long-term consequences for brain development.”
Thus, those who are keen on a cheeky vape will need to dot all their I’s and cross all their T’s, as pharmacies (imagine walking into a pharmacy with a vape prescription) will give you the boot if you even try to get a stig or liquid nicotine without a doctors note.
But of course, the move definitely has good intentions behind it, with the TGA adding that “The requirement for a prescription will provide an opportunity for consumers to receive advice from their doctor on smoking cessation in the context of their overall health management.”
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt also weighed in on the decision and its implications for young people, saying “This decision will both reduce the risk of an onramp for teenagers…while rectifying the issue of legal importation but illegal possession.
“It is important to note that any doctor may currently prescribe nicotine containing e-cigarettes that can be used by consumers for personal importation. This is not widely understood, and it is an important matter of public information that over 30,000 GPs may currently, and in the future, prescribe nicotine-based e-cigarettes for smoking cessation.”
Pretty crazy and a move that’s gonna take a huge amount of getting used to. You can read the TGA’s full statement here.
From 1 October 2021, consumers will require a doctor’s prescription to legally access nicotine e-cigarettes and liquid nicotine in Australia.
Find out more: https://t.co/RCF1Fd9GNr pic.twitter.com/3FhXn0Yuls— TGA Australia (@TGAgovau) December 21, 2020
