Australia sells less than 170 units per day in legal channels after implementing the world’s toughest vape ban, while more than 7 million illegal vapes were seized in 2024. The policy has been accused of driving a thriving black market, with usage among 18-24 year olds still at 18% and experts calling for stronger enforcement and supply systems.
Core Watch:
- Policy failure: pharmacies sell only 170 legal vapes per day, and only 5% of healthcare practitioners in Australia are involved in supply
- Rampant black market: seizures in 2024 will be 175 times higher than annual sales in legal channels, creating a regulatory paradox
- Status of young people: 18-24 year olds’ use rate is on a par with smoking rates, but skyrocketing prices have curbed some of the demand
- Enforcement dilemmas: fractured state regulations, lack of trust in doctors, and gaps in tracking systems constrain the policy on the ground
- Direction of reform: government to invest in monitoring system, experts emphasize the need to simultaneously strengthen border enforcement
Australian pharmacies sell fewer than 170 vapes a day
According to a July 2 report by NewsGP. Australia has made international headlines for implementing the world’s strictest vape regulations, aimed at curbing nicotine addiction and protecting public health. But the federal government is facing increasing scrutiny as questions are raised about the actual effectiveness of the regulations.
vape use remains widespread despite regulations that strictly prohibit the sale of nicotine-containing vapes without a prescription or outside of pharmacy channels. There are growing concerns that the policy could accidentally push users into the unregulated black market. The latest data shows that as of May 30, 2025, the Australian Government Drugs Authority (TGA) had received only 40,000 Special Access Scheme (SAS) notifications for non-prescription vapes from 2,000 pharmacies, which equates to a national average of fewer than 170 non-prescription vape products being sold per day. And the Border Enforcement Agency (BEA) confiscated over 7 million illegal vapes in 2024 alone.
Illegal seizures exceeded 7 million sticks for the year
In response to the surge in youth use, Australia has legislated to restrict the sale of all vapes (including nicotine-free products) to co-operative pharmacies since July 1, 2024, and from October 2024, pharmacists have been permitted to sell vapes with a nicotine concentration of ≤20mg/mL without a prescription to people over 18 years of age through the SAS C notification route.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DoHDA) noted that the SAS-C data “only reflects the availability of therapeutic vapes in Australian pharmacies” and that the actual figure could be higher. But Professor Nick Zwar, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners’ Smoking Cessation Expert Group, said that while there had been an increase in the number of people seeking prescriptions for vapes, it was still difficult for patients to find a prescriber or dispensing pharmacy.
Enforcement dilemmas
Only about 3,000 of Australia’s 39,000 GPs are authorized to prescribe vapes, and only 2,000 of the 38,000 pharmacists have submitted notices of over-the-counter sales. A DoHDA spokesman said the vape reforms were designed to “Strike the right balance” between protecting young people from the health risks of the drug and ensuring that those who need it have access to smoking cessation assistance.
Health and ageing minister Mark Butler acknowledged the need to crack down on illegal sales, but insisted that current laws were “taking vapes away from children”. The Cancer Council’s ‘Vape Generation’ study showed that vape use among 18-24 year olds in the October-December 2024 period was 18%, which is comparable to smoking rates. The model predicts that without current legislation, an additional 1,185 12-19 year olds will start using every week.
Direction of reform
Professor Zwahl noted that the spike in the price of illicit vapes may be the main reason for the decline in youth use, but the majority of vapes in Australia are still consumed through illicit channels. Legal availability is constrained by inconsistent state regulations and insufficient pharmacy readiness. While the government has provided some protection for doctors through the TGA Quality Standards Review, many doctors remain concerned that vapes are not subject to the full drug approval process.
The TGA does not yet have a system in place to collect prescribing data for therapeutic vape products. A DoHDA spokesperson revealed that the federal government will fund the TGA to set up a monitoring system to track the supply of legal vapes. Professor Zwal emphasized that enforcement must be strengthened for therapeutic pathways to work, and that current regulatory effectiveness is still far from adequate.
