Vapers of Australia it’s time to take one last mighty huff of your electronic Strawberry Guava Tropical Fusion Thunderfuck Storm stick, ‘cos the federal government has announced a major crackdown on your favourite cigarette alternative.
Health Minister Mark Butler revealed next week’s federal budget will include a $234 million crackdown on vaping in Australia.
Approximately $30 million will be put towards recovery support programs, $63 million into educating Aussies as to why vaping is not good for your health and $140 million to drastically reduce the number of Indigenous Australians who smoke or vape.
Alongside these efforts, the face of vaping will also take a huge turn. Say goodbye to your colourful little friends and say hello to plain packaging.
Flavours and colours made available will be restricted, warning labels and plain packaging will be required, single-use disposable vapes will be banned, non-prescription vapes will no longer be imported, the amount of nicotine in products will be reduced AND you will need a prescription to purchase a vape in Australia.
No longer will you be walking to Woolies and see a vape store advertising their products with flashing neon lights like you’re in Amsterdam.
So yeah, as you can see the government is not fucking around when it comes to vapes. Maybe we should start getting expensive rentals to start vaping so the gov does something about those too. Someone give my crummy apartment building a Cherry Pomegranate Ice immediately — he already has a mould addiction what’s the worst that can happen?
“Vapes are disguised as highlighter pens, as USB sticks so that people can take them to school,” Butler told ABC’s Q+A.
“And it is having a really significant health effect on our youngest Australians. You’re three times more likely to take up smoking if you vaped than if you haven’t.”
Young people who vape are three times as likely to take up smoking, and under 25s are the only cohort in the community currently recording an increase in smoking rates. This must end.
— Mark Butler MP (@Mark_Butler_MP) May 1, 2023
It will be interesting to see how much change comes from this federal government crackdown.
Vaping has become an incredibly popular alternative to smoking, so will folks just take up the durries again now that vapes will be near-impossible to get a hold of?
@pedestriantv
Only time will tell what will come of this, but I for one welcome some government action on the digi-durries that are wreaking havoc on our lungs.
