Vape sale without prescription labelled ‘unethical’ by pharmacies

Australia is set to introduce a ban on the sale of vapes outside of pharmacies but not everyone is happy with the final piece of legislation*.

The original bill set out that vape users would need a doctor’s prescription in order to buy vape products at a pharmacy. But earlier in the week, Health Minister Mark Butler removed the need for a prescription in order to win the support of the Greens in the Senate.

Pharmacies have slammed the move, saying they don’t support the sale of harmful vapes without a prescription.

Major pharmacy chain Blooms the Chemist has written to its 115 outlets saying it was opposed to the proposed law because of the health risks posed by vaping.

“Vapes are potentially harmful products and they currently do not have TGA approval* for sale,” Blooms The Chemist Management Services Ltd CEO, Emmanuel Vavoulas wrote.

Mr Vavoulas said since vaping was very damaging to your health, selling vapes would go against the purpose of the pharmacy as a healthcare provider.

He said some of the suppliers of vapes were tobacco manufacturers*, who made money off selling addictive* products that cause cancer and other deadly diseases.

“Blooms The Chemist Support Office (BSO) feels very strongly that it would be unethical for a retail health brand like ours to do business with a tobacco company,” he said.

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia which represents over 3,000 pharmacy owners also slammed the passage of the legislation through the Senate* claiming it would “compromise community health.”

It backed Blooms the Chemist, warning that “pharmacists are healthcare professionals and community pharmacies do not want to supply this potentially harmful, highly addictive product without a prescription”.

Vaping products have not been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and no nicotine-containing* vape is listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG)*, the Pharmacy Guild National Vice President Anthony Tassone said.

“When we don’t know the long-term effects of vapes on patient safety, how can a pharmacist make an informed decision?” he asked.

In a statement, the Public Health Association of Australia said while the bill had been amended to allow the sale of vaping products without a prescription, the ban was a positive step in the right direction.

“The bill that has been passed closes key loopholes that have allowed unscrupulous* businesses to sell lolly-flavoured and brightly-coloured nicotine vapes to teenagers and young people,” they wrote. “People addicted to cigarettes and nicotine will still be able to access e-cigarettes through pharmacies.”

Under the new laws to take effect on July 1, vapes will be banned from sale except through pharmacies.

Under the government’s preferred change they would have only been available from pharmacies if the customer had a doctor’s prescription, in order to help addicted people quit.

Vapes sold at pharmacies will have to meet quality and product standards, including plain packaging, and have maximum nicotine levels.

Only tobacco or mint/menthol flavoured products will be sold.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• legislation: law
• TGA approval: approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration, an Australian Government agency that tests and regulates medicine to make sure they are safe for Australians to use
• tobacco manufacturers: companies that make cigarettes and other tobacco products. These products contain the highly addictive chemical nicotine
• addictive: a substance that a user finds very hard to stop taking, even if they know it is doing them harm
• Senate: the upper house of parliament, any new bill has to pass through the Senate before becoming law
• Nicotine-containing: products that have nicotine in them. Nicotine is the highly addictive, main chemical ingredient in cigarettes
• Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG): a database that lists all the health-related products that can legally be sold in Australia
• unscrupulous: having no moral principles, or not being honest or fair

EXTRA READING
The lowdown on smoking, vaping and kids
New vaping laws: changes made to reduce teen usage
Let’s not be dummies about vapes

QUICK QUIZ
1. What controversial change was made to the Government’s ban on selling vapes?
2. Why are pharmacy groups up in arms about the change?
3. What is the name of the addictive chemical found in cigarettes and vapes?
4. When is the new law planned to take effect?
5. What sort of standards will vapes sold at pharmacies need to meet once the law comes into effect?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Should they be banned?
“Vapes should have just been banned completely, you should not be allowed to buy them anywhere.” Do you agree with this statement? Write a list of convincing reasons that support your opinion on this.

Time: allow at least 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Civics and Citizenship

2. Extension
Legislation is a term used to describe the laws that are made in parliament. Do you know how laws are made in Australia? Use the restrictions on vapes as an example. Write an explanation of the process that happens in parliament to create legislation, or a new law. Use information from the story and maybe your research skills.

Time: allow at least 45 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Civics and Citizenship, Personal and Social Capability

VCOP ACTIVITY
BAB it!
Show you have read and understood the article by writing three sentences using the connectives “because’’, “and”, and “but” (BAB). Your sentences can share different facts or opinions, or the same ones but written about in different ways.