Vaping Down Under: Making Sense of Australia’s E-Cigarette Debate

Business, Cigars
July 22, 2025

Vaping Down Under: Making Sense of Australia’s E-Cigarette Debate

By Henry Tilman

Walk past any pub, sports ground, or worksite these days and you’ll spot it, that distinctive cloud of sweet-scented vapour hanging in the air. What started as a tool to help smokers quit has become something much bigger. Vaping’s gone mainstream in Australia, but our laws haven’t caught up, and that’s left us with a national debate about health, regulation, and how we deal with nicotine in a new era.

Where We Stand Now

Until recently, you couldn’t legally buy or possess nicotine vapes without a prescription. That changed in October 2021, when the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved nicotine vaping products for prescription-only use, essentially treating them like a medicine.

But here’s the problem: hardly anyone gets a script. Instead, most vapers buy online from overseas, pick up black-market products from tobacconists, or grab devices through friends. According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data, vaping among young adults tripled between 2019 and 2022. And most of those products? Totally unregulated.

The Latest Shake-Up

In response to soaring youth use and concerns over dodgy imports, the federal government began rolling out a nationwide ban on disposable vapes in early 2024, with tighter restrictions to follow. By 2025, only refillable vaping devices sold through pharmacies with a prescription will be allowed.

But critics argue that this crackdown won’t solve the problem. As one industry insider put it: “You can’t control an underground market with rules nobody follows.”

What Aussies Really Think

The public’s attitude towards vaping is murky. It doesn’t carry the same social stigma as smoking, but it’s still a lightning rod for debate.

A 2023 survey from the Cancer Council found that while 85% of Australians support stronger regulation of e-cigarettes, most don’t support an outright ban, especially for adult smokers trying to quit.

There’s a generational divide, too. Older Australians tend to see vaping as just another vice. Younger adults, especially men under 35, are more likely to view it as a less harmful alternative or simply a lifestyle choice.

The Health Debate

This is where things get complicated.

Yes, vapes don’t contain tar or many of the carcinogens found in cigarettes. But they’re far from harmless. Most contain nicotine, and black-market devices often exceed legal nicotine limits or contain untested additives.

Some products have been found to include high levels of heavy metals, while dodgy batteries pose burn risks, as revealed in a CHOICE investigation into the hidden dangers of vapes.

Long-term health effects? Still unclear. But respiratory experts are already warning about increased risk of lung irritation and dependency, especially in young users.

Looking Ahead

Australia’s always taken a tough stance on tobacco and nicotine, and vaping is no exception. But the current crackdown opens up bigger questions:

Should we treat vapes like prescription medication, or more like alcohol and tobacco, heavily taxed, but available to adults?

Are we trying to wipe them out completely, or just control the chaos?

The answers will shape the future of nicotine policy, and how millions of Australians interact with these products over the coming decade.

The Bottom Line

Vaping might seem like a cleaner, cooler alternative to cigarettes, and for some, it is. But it’s also highly addictive, loosely regulated, and sitting squarely in the government’s crosshairs. Whether you’re a user, an ex-smoker, or just someone watching the debate unfold, one thing’s for sure: this story is far from over.