Following Australia's near complete nicotine ban, many vapers and medical professionals alike have been looking for ways to alleviate the strain it has caused for those wishing to vape e-liquids containing nicotine.

Currently in the country, only those people holding a prescription from a medical professional are allowed to import nicotine products, and they are limited in the amount of e-juice that can be imported at any one time, as well as over the course of a single year.

A new proposal sought to change that by loosening restrictions on small amounts of nicotine.

The Proposal

The latest attempt to modify nicotine laws in Australia sought to change a few key aspects of the current law. First of all, it exempted e-juices with less than 3.6% nicotine concentration. This would allow the majority of low-nicotine e-juices to avoid the ban.

In addition, it would allow vapers to purchase e-juice containing up to a total of 900 mg of nicotine in a single order, doing away with the three-month supply rule that is currently in place. It also made mention of safety precautions to keep e-juice away from children and ban the sale of nicotine products to minors.

The proposal received a total of 71 public submissions, with 54 in support of the changes. Those in support of the proposal were consumers, medical professionals, and business owners who argued that banning access to nicotine containing e-juices is counterintuitive given that nicotine patches and nicotine gum are readily available.

Rejection

Despite the overwhelming support for the proposal, Australian lawmakers rejected it outright, stating that the current rules for nicotine are appropriate and will remain in effect. The proposal was opposed by seven government health departments and four non-government organizations as well as a handful of others.

They argued that there are not sufficient benefits associated with nicotine use to allow for more Australians to gain access to it after having already banned the substance.

Another major factor in the decision is an increasing prevalence of young people using vapor products, which lawmakers are trying to prevent. They maintain that the legalization of e-juice products containing nicotine throughout Europe and the United States is not sufficient reason to bring these products into Australia.

Many vapers and business owners are disappointed in this decision and have voiced their opinions loudly online and through other avenues.