New research has found that many Australians are concerned about the widespread availability of illegal vapes and back stronger regulations including a ban, reports The Guardian.

The International medical journal BMJ Open has published a study where researchers questioned 139 Australians aged 14 to 39 and found that less than half were aware of the prescription model for obtaining nicotine vaping products, reports The Guardian.
Those taking part in the study were separated into focus groups and were questioned before the federal government’s vaping reforms were announced. A lot of responses given by the focus groups, such as the suggestion of plain packaging, health warnings, flavour restrictions and increased vape-free areas, matched what was later announced by the government.
Australia banned the import of all disposable vapes from 1 January 2024. From March, GPs and nurse practitioners will become the only legal vape prescribers and pharmacists the only authorised importers and providers of vape products, reports The Guardian.
“But I think until the stores actually get shut down, people will still think that there is no regulation because they can still get vapes from anywhere,” said one of the senior authors of the study, Assoc Prof Michelle Jongenelis from the University of Melbourne.
“Participants were saying to us: ‘Well, I don’t understand the prescription model because I can just go down to my local store and buy the product.’ The planned reforms will mean that the sale of vapes in any place other than a pharmacy will be illegal, but enforcing these laws will be critical.”