Time to read : 5 Minutes
The Federal government is banning more nicotine-based products in 2024. Which ones? Vapes.
New rules for the new year:
It’s already illegal to use, sell or buy nicotine for use in e-cigarettes in Australia without a prescription. We already restrict the sale of non-nicotine vapes and e-cigarette products to those aged 18 years and over (except in WA).^
However, evidence shows clearly that the vast majority of non-nicotine vapes still do contain nicotine, which is illegal. This has prompted the Federal Government to take further action.
In May, 2023, the Federal Government announced changes to vaping products and $737 million in the 2023-24 budget towards protecting public health from tobacco and vaping.
The new reforms ban the importation of disposable single-use vaping products. Nicotine vaping products will remain accessible for smoking cessation via a prescription, subject to enhanced regulatory requirements that are designed to ensure compliance with relevant quality standards.
More bans are on the way:
The importation of all other vapes will be banned from 1 March, regardless of nicotine content or therapeutic claims, unless the importer has all the required licences and permits from the Office of Drug Control (ODC). Personal importing of vapes will be illegal from this time.
Education campaigns will run in schools and police now have powers to seize any illegal nicotine vaping products from stores.
The surge in popularity of vaping has prompted concerns about its impact on the general health of Australians - especially young people.
Recreational vaping by youths and young adults has increased significantly in the last few years, impacting the health of younger Australians. In 2023, 14.5% of Australians aged 14-17 years admitted they currently vape. This increases to nearly 20% for Australians aged 18-24 years.
Despite known health risks, vaping continues to grow in popularity.
How does vaping affect your insurance cover?
Insurance companies are deeply interested in the health impacts of vapes, and vaping.
Cigarette smoking is a well-established risk factor for various health conditions, including respiratory diseases and cardiovascular issues. Insurers have historically charged higher life insurance premiums to smokers to account for this. For example, a $500,000 policy for a 45 year old office worker in NSW will set you back around $88 a month if you’re a smoker. If you’re not, or you haven’t been one for at least 12 months, your premium can drop to around $33/month.
Compare Club’s life insurance expert, Lisa Varker:
“Vaping is treated the same way as smoking when it comes to life cover. It won’t prevent you from getting a life insurance policy, but you’ll be considered a smoker by insurers. This usually means you'll pay more for your life cover than non-smokers/vapers. If you've quit both smoking and vaping for more than twelve months, speak to your broker about reducing your premium.”
Vapers can pay two to three times more for their life cover than non-smokers.** You can find out more about how smoking (and now vaping) affects your life cover here.
At the moment, vaping is not a consideration when you take out health cover, but your heart and vascular health can suffer from vaping. Cover for cardiovascular care sits in the higher - and more expensive - hospital cover tiers.
The lack of regulatory oversight and standardisation in the vaping industry makes any risk assessment more difficult for insurers and doctors - but all that’s about to change.
What is a ‘vape’?
First appearing in the early 2000s, vapes were marketed as an aid to assist smokers in giving up their tobacco habit. Many vape products contain nicotine.
Vapes used to be called e-cigarettes. These cartridge-based devices are powered by a lithium battery. Typically, a vape cartridge is filled with liquids, or ‘juice.’ The juice contains nicotine, artificial flavourings, and various chemicals. The battery heats the juice into an aerosol, or vapour. The vaper inhales this into their lungs.
What’s in vapes?
E-cigarettes don’t contain tobacco, but many of the available liquid flavours still contain nicotine, as well as other chemicals. These chemicals can be toxic when inhaled.
Some of the liquids used in vapes include added fruit, alcohol, or confectionary flavours. This makes them more appealing to teenagers and young children.
In a study carried out at Curtin University, 52 vape ‘flavours’ marketed as ‘non-nicotine’ products were tested and found to contain:
Formaldehyde and acrolein, which may cause irreversible lung damage.
Propylene glycol, which is toxic to human cells.
Nicotine, which is highly addictive and can harm a still-developing adolescent brain.
This study also determined that:
100% of the e-liquids they tested were inaccurately labelled.
100% contained chemicals with unknown effects on respiratory health.
62% contained chemicals likely to be toxic if vaped repeatedly.
21% contained nicotine - despite this being illegal.
In 2022, the Australian National University published their own review, listing a range of harmful effects associated with vaping, including:
Nicotine addiction.
Intentional and unintentional poisoning.
Acute nicotine toxicity, causing seizures.
Lung injuries.
Indoor air pollution.
Dual use with cigarette smoking.
It’s now believed that, far from assisting smokers to give up the habit, vaping is associated with the uptake of cigarette smoking among under 25 years olds, and can be considered a ‘gateway’ to further risk and health complications.
Health risks for vapers:
While the long-term health effects of vaping are unclear, recent studies indicate that vaping is associated with nausea, vomiting, mouth and airway irritation, chest pain and heart palpitations.*
More serious respiratory issues associated with vaping, such as lung inflammation and decreased lung function, have been found in some overseas studies. The impact of vaping on cardiovascular health is becoming an increasing cause of concern, with evidence indicating vaping adversely affects blood vessel function.
Are vapes really ‘safer’ than cigarettes?
While vaping is often marketed as a less harmful alternative to smoking, concerns persist regarding the potential for lung damage and other health complications.
There’s no reliable evidence that vapes are safer than cigarettes and the health implications for vapers aren’t definitive. Vapes are relatively recent devices so there’s not as much data as there is for other nicotine-based products.
The bottom line:
Vapers pay the same elevated life cover premiums as smokers. This isn’t the case for health cover.
Non-nicotine vape juice has been found to contain nicotine, and other harmful chemicals.
There’s no definitive proof that vapes help people quit smoking, but the new rules are leaving this alone for now.
From 1 January 2024 importing vapes for personal use will be illegal, and strictly controlled via importers for smoking cessation - which will require a prescription.
From 1 March, all other importation routes for vapes will be illegal.
*Protecting the health of your lungs ^TGA: New Vaping Laws
