# Australia to ban nicotine imports for vapers



## Hooked (20/6/20)

*Australia Will Shut Down Imports of Nicotine for Vaping*
https://vaping360.com/vape-news/103802/australia-will-shut-down-imports-of-nicotine-for-vaping/
19 June 2020

"Australian health minister Greg Hunt has announced new policies that will make it nearly impossible for vapers to import nicotine, and will impose draconian penalties on those who get caught trying. The changes were announced while the country’s parliament is on recess until August, and will take effect on July 1—just 11 days away...

[Previously there was] a loophole that allowed vapers able to obtain a nicotine prescription from a doctor to import small quantities for personal use. Additionally, many vapers buy nicotine without a prescription from online retailers in China and other countries. Restrictions on nicotine imports have not been strictly enforced—*but that is about to change.
*
The new policies will include cooperation between the Department of Health and the Australian Border Force to enforce the import ban. Hunt has also added brutal penalties for those caught violating the new rules, including fines of up to 222,000 Australian dollars (about $152,000 US).

Vapers who have already ordered and paid for nicotine being shipped to the country are not exempt from seizures and penalties. According to the TGA, any nicotine arriving on or after July 1 can be seized. That would even include orders that had been placed before the announcement of the new policy.

Products not subject to the new rules include cigarettes and nicotine replacement therapy products, which can be purchased without a prescription in Australia. Yes, that is correct: medical cessation products require no prescription, but recreational consumer products do—except the most dangerous one, which is freely available in every corner store across the country.

In theory, nicotine will still be legal for those vapers who have doctor’s prescription. However, since nicotine can no longer be imported, it will have to be bought from a pharmacy. And in a classic Catch-22, pharmacies aren’t allowed by state law to carry nicotine.

“Only a handful of Australian doctors are willing to write nicotine prescriptions under current laws,” wrote Dr. Colin Mendelsohn of the Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association (ATHRA). “Even fewer will be willing to comply with the complex and time-consuming requirements of the new plan.

“Under the new laws, vapers are no longer able to import nicotine e-liquid for their own personal use. Only medical suppliers or pharmacists can import nicotine with permission granted by the Health department.

“The proposal suggests that pharmacists could make up nicotine solutions for vapers who have a prescription. However, pharmacists need permission to possess and import nicotine from the state health departments. All have so far refused to give permission for this purpose.”

Reactions: Like 4 | Informative 3


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## Hooked (20/6/20)

This defies belief. So nicotine in cigarettes is allowed, but not in vape juice. 

Let us hope and pray that our govt. doesn't follow suit.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 6


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## Grand Guru (20/6/20)

This is a sad day for Vapers. Big Tobacco is winning the war thanks to corrupt politicians and sold media.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 7


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## M.Adhir (20/6/20)

Yoh this isn't cool 
I remember a year or so asking a friend in Aus to buy some vape gear for me from a shop there and ship to SA. 
She was 100% sure their parcel scanners would detain the parcel before it even left the country.

Reactions: Like 4 | Informative 3


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## M.Adhir (20/6/20)

Perhaps this is also has to do with the whole sin tax aspect and not being able to tax or regulate as much. 
Cigarettes are prohibitively expensive in Aus (paid the equivalent of almost R500 for a pack of smokes there).

Reactions: Like 3 | Informative 4


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## DavyH (20/6/20)

Vaping Bogan put out a new vid today. It’s the only time I’ve seen Sam look rattled by anything.

They should be checking out Greg Hunt. He wouldn’t be the first politician in the pockets of the tobacco industry.

Reactions: Like 4 | Agree 1


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## THE REAPER (20/6/20)

So what happened to human rights i have a right to choose what and how i put things in my body. How can you make weed legal but you cant make vaping nicotine legal what has this world come to.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 5


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## zadiac (20/6/20)

Hooked said:


> This defies belief. So nicotine in cigarettes is allowed, but not in vape juice.
> 
> Let us hope and pray that our govt. doesn't follow suit.



They probably will because they're too stupid to make their own decisions and copy from other governments.

Reactions: Agree 6


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## Grand Guru (20/6/20)

I agree with @zadiac. All they need is a precedent!

Reactions: Agree 5


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## YeOldeOke (20/6/20)

Tobacco tax has become a cash cow for governments which they cannot possibly do without.

Every time a pussyfied population that cannot look out for themselves demand more handouts and more regulation 'for safety' they grow government. The bigger the govt the more money it craves without adding to the productive economy while increasing its corruption. In fact shrinking the productive economy. Socialism is great till you run out of other people's money.

Stresses in all the populations and govts are growing at a hair-raising rate. Whenever that happens wars are inevitable.

Worldwide its the same story. It can only get worse, unless the pussyfied populations get strangled by their own demands, fear and stupidity to the point of revolution. If they still have enough balls for it. Which I doubt, at least for the next 100 years.

Heading into Dark Ages II.

There is light at the end of the tunnel though, do not despair!

OK, Maybe not.

Reactions: Like 4 | Agree 1 | Winner 2


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## Hooked (20/6/20)

YeOldeOke said:


> Tobacco tax has become a cash cow for governments which they cannot possibly do without.
> 
> Every time a pussyfied population that cannot look out for themselves demand more handouts and more regulation 'for safety' they grow government. The bigger the govt the more money it craves without adding to the productive economy while increasing its corruption. In fact shrinking the productive economy. Socialism is great till you run out of other people's money.
> 
> ...



Hmmmm "maybe not" indeed!

Reactions: Like 3 | Agree 1


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## Room Fogger (21/6/20)

So smoke to get your nicotine fix and die of cancer, adding strain to medical facilities for treatment, that’s fine, but don’t use a product that is proven to work as a transitioning tool, a lot safer and is something to reduce the harm to you and those around you. 

Mmmmmm , what’s next, don’t use sunscreen as it contains oils and substances that may pollute the water and rather die of skin cancer, or don’t have a “ Barbie”, still makes me think of a doll, it’s a frikken braai, as flames cause veld fires and meat can be microwaved, it’s still cooked isn’t it.

Really bad comparisons I know, but when you have to go to these extremes to get an example of”bad” the idiocy shines like a candle in a hurricane. Poor Ausies, stuck on an island with the cream of the crop of idiots leading the sheeple and depriving a village somewhere of great entertainment.

Reactions: Like 8 | Agree 1


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## DavyH (26/6/20)

A few Australian back benchers jumped on Minister Hunt and achieved the seemingly impossible. This is what advocacy and pressure can do in a country not run by the criminally insane.

Reactions: Like 4 | Winner 7


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## takatatak (26/6/20)

DavyH said:


> A few Australian back benchers jumped on Minister Hunt and achieved the seemingly impossible. This is what advocacy and pressure can do in a country not run by the criminally insane.
> 
> View attachment 199506


This is great news!! I hope this serves as a reminder to South African vapers that we need to make our voices heard when these challenges inevitably rear their ugly heads.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 8 | Funny 1


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## Hooked (26/6/20)

Ban has been postponed. Read here.

Reactions: Like 4 | Informative 2


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## Cognet-Vapour (27/6/20)

THE REAPER said:


> So what happened to human rights i have a right to choose what and how i put things in my body. How can you make weed legal but you cant make vaping nicotine legal what has this world come to.



Well same goes for drug addictions... if Gov cant get money they sure as well gonna do what ever it takes.. bad analogy i know.

Gov stil gets Tax (Vat) even if your company isn't registered for VAT you still paying VAT on your stock if you are reg for VAT you paying more to gov but the customer pays.

Besides Sin Tax was because the money was to be used to fight cigarette damage like lung cancer etc but i think they all saw it as a cash cow look at SARS complaining how much they have losts due to Cig ban its crazy

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


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## Raindance (28/6/20)

Cognet-Vapour said:


> Well same goes for drug addictions... if Gov cant get money they sure as well gonna do what ever it takes.. bad analogy i know.
> 
> Gov stil gets Tax (Vat) even if your company isn't registered for VAT you still paying VAT on your stock if you are reg for VAT you paying more to gov but the customer pays.
> 
> Besides Sin Tax was because the money was to be used to fight cigarette damage like lung cancer etc but i think they all saw it as a cash cow look at SARS complaining how much they have losts due to Cig ban its crazy


In the Peoples Republic of Bonga Bongo Banana, none of the taxes are utilised for the reasons they were motivated and approved.

Regards

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 2


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## DavyH (28/6/20)

Raindance said:


> In the Peoples Republic of Bonga Bongo Banana, none of the taxes are utilised for the reasons they were motivated and approved.
> 
> Regards



I only rated this funny because there’s no emoji for ‘crying at the absurdity of it all’.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


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## CMMACKEM (28/6/20)

Hooked said:


> Ban has been postponed. Read here.



Ironic it is a "liberal" party forcing these laws through all over the world.

Left wing parties seem to have it in for vapers.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


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## DavyH (28/6/20)

CMMACKEM said:


> Ironic it is a "liberal" party forcing these laws through.
> 
> Left wing parties seem to have it in for vapers.



Left wing parties know better than their voters...umm...subjects...ummm...children. I have no love for the right, but they tend to allow their citizens to make their own decisions and mistakes.

Reactions: Like 3


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## fbb1964 (20/7/20)

All I can say is that it taught us one thing. Stock up and stock up big on the liquid nicotine now! It's been a threat for a long time and it came out of the blue fast. The delay until Jan 2021 might still happen but the huge reaction fighting it worked this time. Might not next time. Beg borrow steal do whatever but buy as much liquid nicotine possible with the insane criminals running SA you never know what's coming

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 4 | Informative 1


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