Illegal in several countries, vaping dealt another blow in Australia

By Emre Basaran

ISTANBUL (AA) - Electronic cigarettes, already illegal in several countries, recently got another hit – this time from Australia.

Vapes containing nicotine – the addicting chemical found in conventional cigarettes – are required by law to only be sold in pharmacies with a prescription in the country. Nevertheless, the law is loosely enforced – hence Australian Health Minister Mark Butler’s pledge last Tuesday to impose strict enforcement.

“It was not sold as a recreational product and, in particular, not one for our kids. But that is what it's become — the biggest loophole, I think, in Australian health care history,” he said during a speech at the National Press Club of Australia.

“A so-called prescription model with next to no prescriptions, a ban with no real enforcement, an addictive product with no support to quit,” he said, criticizing his government’s shortcomings.

“No more bubble gum flavors, no more pink unicorns, no more vapes deliberately disguised as highlighter pens for kids to be able to hide them in their pencil cases,” he said, pointing to the main cause of concern: heavy teen use of vapes, which has spiked in recent years – especially in the US.

An expert independent review in 2015 by Public Health England (PHE) concluded that vaping is indeed safer than combustible cigarettes but opponents of vaping usually point to the fact that this healthier aspect compared to smoking causes non-smokers to pick up the habit and start introducing large doses of highly addictive nicotine into their systems.

The 2019-2020 vaping lung illness outbreak, which was caused by illicit and unregulated manufacturing, saw 68 deaths linked to vaping products in 27 US states and the District of Columbia. The recent spike in teen use and advertisement tactics targeting the youth have created the so-called “vape scare,” with some calling the situation an “epidemic” – consequently forcing governments around the world to impose restrictions and outright bans.

- Asia strict on vaping

Thailand is the strictest of the countries, where vaping has been banned – at least on paper – since 2014.

Tourists visiting the country face the prospects of 10 years behind bars when caught using e-cigarettes, or hefty fines hovering near $1,000.

Other Asian countries have strict regulations as well.

Singapore does not allow vapes to be brought into the country, while Bhutan and Turkmenistan impose fines.

Qatar, like Thailand, has banned vaping since 2014 with vapers facing three months in prison or nearly $2,500 fine.

In Türkiye, it is not illegal to vape but it is still illegal to purchase. Likewise, in Iran, the sale or distribution of e-cigarettes is illegal.

Japan was one of the pioneers of the ban on vaping, having banned the practice in 2010, even though there is no regulation for non-nicotine e-cigarettes.

India imposed a ban on the sale and production of vapes in 2019.

Taiwan made it illegal to sell or import e-cigarettes, and tourists are not allowed to bring vapes into the country.

While South Korea heavily taxes vaping products, it nonetheless allows the sale and production while teen use remains a problem in the country.

On the other hand, European countries are not as strict. Vaping products, nicotine and non-nicotine alike, are legal and openly sold in many European countries.

Belgium, the UK and Estonia allow nicotine vapes below certain levels, while four Scandinavian countries – namely Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland – despite allowing sales, strictly regulate vaping, including banning the advertisement of e-cigarettes.

- Vaping a no-go in Brazil, Argentina

South America’s two biggest countries, Brazil and Argentina, have outrightly banned vaping, including the sale, production, import, and advertising of e-cigarettes.

In Canada and the US, the situation is a little more murky.

While e-cigarettes are largely unregulated in Canada, there have been efforts to impose restrictions. In Canada, local regulations vary like the US where states and cities have their own rules with regards to vaping.

After the vape scare and the consequent backlash, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered a halt on sales of vaping products with sweet and fruity flavors – in an apparent effort to keep teenage use at bay. Nevertheless, flavored e-cigarettes targeting the youth are still sold in the US due to some loopholes in the law.

Highly popular vape brand Juul was specifically targeted by the FDA, ordering its products off the US market. Juul vapes remain banned in several US states due to failure to provide sufficient evidence that their products are appropriate for public health.

As vaping gets even more popular by the day, global regulations become inevitable to check the menace so that teenagers are effectively prevented from picking up the habit.