No more pretty packaging and flavours under new vape laws

Black-market tobacco and e-cigarettes are in the sights of authorities as overhauled vaping laws come into effect.

From now on vapes will only be allowed to be sold in pharmacies over the counter, and only after chemists have a discussion with the customer about the health harms.

Vapes will only be sold in plain packaging and without flavouring under the reforms, designed to protect children.

People under 18 will need a prescription to buy vapes.

Health Minister Mark Butler said the measures would protect younger generations from becoming addicted to nicotine.

“We are deadly serious about these reforms because they are critically important to the health of young Australians,” he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.

“Vaping is a very serious public health menace. It’s a tool from big tobacco, deliberately designed to recruit a new generation to nicotine addiction.

“All governments expect business to do the right thing and to comply with the law.”

It comes as the federal government appointed a commissioner to step up the fight against illegal vapes and tobacco entering the country.

Australian Border Force assistant commissioner Erin Dale will head up a Tobacco and E-Cigarette Taskforce to stamp out illegal nicotine products.

Ms Dale will serve as the taskforce’s commissioner in an interim basis before a formal appointment is made.

She said criminal syndicates were seeking to get illegal vapes and nicotine products into Australia.

“Every day, our Australian Border Force officers at our ports are detecting millions of illicit tobacco and vapes. This is a significant increase from what we have seen previously,” she told reporters.

“My message to organised crime is we are targeting you at the Commonwealth and state levels. We’ve never been more joined up before, so we are targeting you.”