The Territory is cracking down on e-cigarettes in the community with new laws in the passage to reduce availability and increase enforcement.
Announced by the Minister for Health, Rachel Stephen-Smith, the Health Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 has been developed to stop the sale of e-cigarettes from vending machines, enable stronger compliance testing to stop under-18’s buying e-cigarettes and enable action to be taken against sole traders.
Ms Stephen-Smith said the move aimed to minimise the harm caused in the community from smoking and vaping, particularly for young Canberrans.
“Reducing supply is a critical component of minimising harm,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.
“Through these legal changes, ACT Government officials will have the ability to check if e-cigarettes are being sold to minors and to remove the ability for sale through vending machines,” she said.
“The changes in this legislation will also enable the Therapeutic Goods Administration to take enforcement action against sole traders, in addition to corporations to ensure that breaches of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989, including action relating to sales of prohibited goods such as nicotine vaping products/e‑cigarettes.”
Ms Stephen-Smith said the Territory would continue to work with all Australian Governments on a coordinated national approach to significantly reduce the availability of e-cigarette products.
