Will The Vape Crackdown Turn People Back To Cigarettes?

The importation of all non-therapeutic vapes is now illegal in Australia.

This means anyone wanting to import vape into the country needs a licence to do so, and anyone wanting to buy a vape will need a prescription from their doctor.

But will this next step in the government’s crackdown on vaping make a noticeable difference? Will it push those who can’t access a vape onto smoking cigarettes instead?

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler tells The Briefing why he is so focused on cracking down on vapes in 2024:

Butler acknowledges that vape users are three times more likely to take up cigarettes than non-vape users, and shares the fear that this crackdown will turn young people onto cigarettes.

“The last thing we want to see is the very large number of vapers shift into cigarettes,” Butler says.

“This is a serious public health menace targeting young Australians with one simple objective in mind, on the part of Big Tobacco, and that is to recruit a new generation to nicotine addiction,” Butler says.

“And we’re determined to stamp it out.”

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