Australia’s tobacco tax will be increased by billions of dollars over the next four years as theThe sale of vapes in retail stores will be banned as the government seeks to prevent the next generation from becoming addicted to nicotine, health minister Mark Butler said on Tuesday.
Ministers are to work with the states and territories to shut down the sale of vapes in retail and convenience stores and make it easier to get a prescription for therapeutic use. Mr Butler said children aged under four had been reported to Victoria state’s poisons hotline after they used a vape to give an idea of the scale of the public health issue.‘This is a product targeted at our kids,’ Mr Butler said.
Steve Robson, president of the Australian Medical Association, the nation’s leading doctors group, backed the move. ‘We know the new young generation of Australians are being hooked on vapes and this is a great initiative,’ he said. ‘Some people who vape, including young people, may be unknowingly consuming nicotine and have formed a dependence,’ she said.