Australia Will Ban Disposable Vapes Import From January 2024

On November 28, Australian Health Minister Mark Butler announced a series of regulatory policies related to vapes.

The policies includes:

1. Ban disposable vapes from entering Australia from January 2024.
2. From January 2024, doctors and nurses in Australia will be able to prescribe vapes to patients, which can be purchased at pharmacies. This shows that Australia’s relaxation of vape prescription authority is no longer limited to general practitioners.
3. Starting from March 2024, personal imports of vapes will be prohibited. This means Australia will no longer allow domestic consumers to purchase vaping devices from other countries.
4. Starting from March 2024, the import of non-therapeutic open vapes will be prohibited.
5. The government will enforce tighter rules on flavors, nicotine strength standards and packaging.But the government says businesses will have a transition period to comply with the new requirements.
6. The government will also ban the domestic manufacturing, advertising, supply and commercial possession of non-therapeutic and disposable vapes in Australia.

Butler says the move aims at reversing the trend of vaping among young Australians. But he also acknowledges that the plan was not perfect.

Since May this year, Australia has decide to completely ban the sale of disposable vaping devices. The only legal way to purchase it is through a prescription from a general practitioner, in a pharmacy or on an overseas website. Therefore, other purchases, such as at tobacconists or convenience stores, are illegal.

vaping devices in the vape store

The previous compliance process for purchasing vapes in Australia.

First, the “patient” needs to consult a GP to obtain an vape prescription. The price of a prescription is about 70 Australian dollars. Treatment options include 3 months, 9 months and 12 months. The doctor will judge the specific treatment course according to individual circumstances. In addition, after getting the prescription, the “patient” also needs to contact the pharmacy to reserve vaping devices in advance. Because most pharmacies do not always stock vape products. However, there are also very few vape brands that can enter the country’s compliant vape channels (pharmacies).

Some say there is little market for a legal vape business in Australia and prescription appears to be a formality policy. It is reported that the market share of compliant vapes in Australia is less than 5%, while illegal products account for more than 95%. According to the previous exchanges with people related to the Australian vape market, there are still a large number of vape retail stores in Australia. Only in Sydney, there are more than 2,000 vape stores.

In addition, the Australian consumers mainly purchase vapes through online stores in New Zealand. Therefore, it is expected that the New Zealand market may be affected to a certain extent from March next year.

What should the Chinese vape manufacturers and vape brands do in the next year?

To most of the vape manufacturers, distributors, and brands in China, there are some steps to do. Firstly, it is time to change the marketing strategy in Australia vape market. Since disposable vapes are not allowed in Australia, it is time to focus on rechargeable vapes, refillable vapes and pod vapes. Moreover, the vape flavor, nicotine strength and vape kit package should follow the Australia registrations. Additionally, try to cooperate with the hospitals, pharmacies, doctors and nurses to let them know your vapes and brand. Because they will all be able to prescribe vapes to patients from 2024.