Thousands of Australians, desperate to quit smoking, will find it almost impossible to purchase nicotine for vaping thanks to Minister Hunt’s capricious decision to ban nicotine imports.
When parliament resumes in August One Nation will move to disallow the new regulations and propose new rules for importing nicotine until local options are available.
“Instead of tackling the issue of illegal importation of nicotine at the border, Minister Hunt imposes draconian regulations that punish vaping users trying to give up smoking,” stated Senator Roberts.
British and New Zealand Governments widely support vaping as one of the most effective ways to quit smoking, however Australia has seen an increase in illegal nicotine supply, likely due to poor Border Force policing.
“This is a lazy decision on behalf of the Minister with zero consultation with industry, users and the medical profession,” Senator Roberts said.
The current laws require a doctor’s prescription prior to importation with proof given to Border Force to allow imports of nicotine for vaping based on prescriptions.
“The increase in illegal nicotine is Border Force not doing their job and not enforcing script-only imports,” said Senator Roberts.
A company needs to spend millions of dollars for research to get nicotine through the TGA process before there is any hope that an Australian chemist can sell it.
Senator Roberts added, “The Government needs to urgently fund the TGA approval process so Australians can buy nicotine for vaping without having to import it. “One Nation supports the use of nicotine for vaping to quit smoking and thousands of Australians can testify to its effectiveness.”
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