Australia & E cigarette
Despite the increasing popularity of e cigarettes and their ease of availability online, Australia has decided to ban them. Health authorities and law enforcement stop e-cigarettes from entering the country via orders being placed online. That’s because in Australia the possession or use of nicotine for anything other than medical reasons is illegal.
According to Australian officials, nicotine is considered a scheduled poison and that’s why it is banned. Even nicotine replacement products must first be approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration before they can be legally used. The funny part is that the Federal Government banned e-cigarettes, which are considered a healthier smoking option , around the same time prices on tobacco went up.
According to Elusion, Australia’s largest e-cigarette supplier, the federal ban had no impact on the more then 10,000 customers they serve in Australia. As a matter of fact, they say their business has increased by about 200 percent since the price hike took place.
And while thousands of people have used e-cigarettes to help them quit smoking, the Australian Medical Association said that there is not enough evidence to prove this. Harry Hemley, the Victorian AMA president, has warned that e cigarettes pose a serious health risk. He is concerned that people are getting the wrong information online. Online sellers market them as a healthy alternatives to smoking regular cigarettes. The problem is that there is no proof that actually backs those claims up.
A TGA spokeswoman said that e-cigarettes are actually not a safe alternative. They contain nicotine and nicotine is a schedule seven poison that is harmful to ones health. That’s why consumers must be very careful when purchasing e cigarettes over the internet. Truth be told you never know what ingredients will be in the e-cigarettes you receive.
ACT health believes that e-cigs encourage people to continue smoking. That’s because they look and feel just like a real cigarette. Because of this ACT health does not agree with them being used. But according to Paul Medarov, the chief executive of Elusion, authorities are getting it all wrong. What they don’t realize is that most people have reduced the amount of nicotine they take in because of e cigarettes.
The idea is that since they look and feel like a real cigarette, people will be more likely to replace their real cigarettes with e cigarettes. Even still, Australia has banned them from being used. So if you plan on going to Australia anytime soon, make sure you leave your e cigarettes behind.
