More than a thousand vapes have been seized for testing from Adelaide businesses in the first week of a targeted enforcement blitz on illegal nicotine sales.
In the first four days of the eight-week operation, 1200 vapes suspected of containing nicotine have been taken off shop shelves by SA Health officials, worth a total estimated street value of $36,000.
So far this week, 18 inspections have been held across metropolitan Adelaide. About a third of businesses inspected have been found to be stocking vape products listed on the TGA website as containing nicotine.
All seized property will be laboratory tested over coming weeks to confirm the presence of nicotine.
Once results are verified, SA Health will consider enforcement action, including issuing cautions or expiations and commencing legal proceedings or the cancellation of business licences.
The eight-week enforcement blitz began on Monday, coinciding with tough new licence conditions imposed by the Malinauskas Labor Government to crack down on the vaping scourge.
The stringent new licence conditions make clear that selling nicotine e-cigarettes is illegal and now require retailers to show proof that vaping products being sold are nicotine-free.
Retailers also need to provide information about their e-cigarette suppliers, importers or manufacturers, that will enable products to be traced.
As part of the blitz, SA Health compliance officers are inspecting businesses that sell vapes, including convenience stores, service stations, gifts & accessories stores, and supermarkets to check that licence holders are meeting the new conditions.
Information packs outlining the new conditions were sent to current and former licence holders since the new conditions were announced on 8 June 2023.
After receiving the packs, some retailers have stated they returned their vapes to their supplier and either ceased selling vapes or sourced non-nicotine vapes.
The first wave of inspections aims to help businesses understand the new conditions and will target any products already known to contain nicotine.
The new conditions are an interim measure, while the Federal Government works through its plans to stop the importation of non-prescription e-cigarettes and the banning of vapes in retail settings and single-use disposable vapes, announced recently.
SA Health has become increasingly aware of non-compliance with laws introduced in October 2021 that classify nicotine vaping products as prescription-only medicines and prevent the sale of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes without a prescription.
Many vaping products do not list nicotine as an ingredient on the packaging, however, laboratory testing has confirmed nicotine is present in the majority of disposable vapes sold in Australia.
SA Health’s Health Protection & Regulation Branch welcomes reports from the public on retailers who may be selling nicotine vapes.
Members of the public are encouraged to report retailers suspected of selling nicotine vaping products to SA Health via the SA Health reporting form.
Any licensed retailer found breaching the conditions risks penalties of up to $10,000.
Any person or retailer found selling or supplying e-cigarette products or tobacco without a licence faces penalties of up to $20,000.
For more information, visit Tobacco and e-cigarette laws and businesses.
As put by Chris Picton
It is concerning that young people can pick up these vapes so easily not knowing they contain highly addictive nicotine.
The rates at which young people are becoming hooked on vapes is alarming and we must act now to turn this around.
We will continue our efforts over coming weeks to seize as many illegal vapes as we can and take appropriate action to ensure businesses in SA are doing the right thing.
As put by Acting Chief Public Health Officer Dr Chris Lease
Our vaping blitz has already targeted a range of businesses through the week and found that a third have not been complying.
We are urging businesses to comply with new licence holder changes as we will be inspecting them throughout the eight weeks and the appropriate action will be taken.
Businesses have been put on notice that it is illegal to sell any nicotine vaping products in South Australia unless you are the holder of a licence under the Controlled Substances Act (such as a pharmacy) and the purchaser is in possession of a valid prescription.
