Key Stake Holders
Consumers
Consumers are the most important stakeholders when it comes to your reducing harm to health.
However, due to the influence of professional anti-vaping lobbyists and NGOs who often have self serving motives, like getting more Government funding for their organisation (s) and associates, the real evidence gets left behind.
Laws on tobaccco harm reduction products are mostly made with the barest minimum of consutation with those they effect the most, the consumers.
Australia has lacked in having a consumer body who can represent their concerns and rights to harm reduction.
Hence, consumers have had little if any real say in how their harm reduction products like vapes will be regulated.
Instead, non Govt organistations who previously lobbied for smoking law changes have been leaned in on by the Australian Government to help direct policy and laws on harm reduction products like vaping.
This is set to change shortly with a new community movement who will be known as "A.L.I.V.E".
If you are somone who wishes to help create positive change for Australian tobacco harm reduction consumers, you are invited to join in on this amazing movement.
Hit the "learn more button now!"
Suppliers
There are three main suppliers of vaping products in Australia.
1/ Legitimate legal vape specialist stores.
These stores predominantly sell refillable vaping products and accessories.
They don't sell nicotine containing products, nor is it legal for them to.
They relied on customers who wished to use nicotine in their products to order with a prescription via the now scrapped personal importation scheme.
Hence most of those suppliers are now closing shop and in many instances going bankrupt as they were often small business owners.
2/ Black market vape supplies.
Since the re-introduction of nicotine vape bans in October 2021 where a prescription requirement for nicotine vapes was reinforced the black market for vaping products has taken off with thrust.
Selling mainly illegally disposable vapes through all sorts of channels and to amyone with money and a will to try a vape, they now dominate with 92% of the Australian vaping market.
Their products are sold via retailers via an "Earn or Burn" scheme where retailers are called by black market operators to sell their products or have their businesses burned to the ground. They have carried through wih that promise by burning down/destroying with firebombs no less than 60 retailers since March 2023.
3/ Chemists with a prescription.
Chemists have become the reluctant retailers of a limited amount of vaping products over the last few years.
Now they are the only legal channel to purchase a nicotine containing vaping product via a doctor or nurse practioners prescription.
Chemists are also the retailers of Big Tobacco manufactured vapes or closely linked to Big Tobacco companies that have been made legal to sell via this pathway.
The products are usually not appropriate for many vapers and can contain nicotine at volumes that vapers would never have previously used.
Governments
Government's at all levels and their departments have a responsibility to implement and maintain laws that keep up with the best available evidence base, especially when it comes to tobacco harm reduction.
Ultimately, it's the Federal Governmnent that has the most weight in how tobacco harm reduction products are legislated.
In 2024 we see the roll out of new laws that are tantamount to prohibition when it comes to vaping products.
There are two main reasons they give for this position.
1/ to protect non legal aged from access to vapes
2/ to reduce the risk of a gateway to smoking
The problem is the application of prohibition to vaping products has encourgaed a huge criminal based black market who supply youths with vapes.
As for any alleged gateway effect to smoking from vaping, this is furphy that has been debunked.
To find out more about the various departments and policy makers who have influenced Australia's position on tobacco harm reduction, click on the "learn more" button below.
Non GoVT Orgs
Non Government organisations have a role to play to help inform Governments of what is really happening in the community.
When it comes to tobacco harm reduction, the Australian Government spend millions of dollars of taxpayers money on this issue. Particuarly on vaping prevention.
However, the Government chooses who they will or won't listen to with consumers usually being the least considered group.
Rather the Government will pay millions into their preferred lobby groups under the guise that they are the only groups they can trust and have all the right information.
Clearly this is short sighted and it often results in the Government acting upon information that isn't correct.
So, who are those NGOs?
How much do they make from taxpayers money?
What postive or negative results do they bring into this space?
Click Below to learn more!
Communities
How are communites effected by tobacco harm reduction measures, and what role can they play in helping to bring positive change into this space?
Who are the people in the community that are the most effected by tobacco harm reduction, and more importantly, can benefit the most from such harm reduction measures?
How can those communities assist each other and of those involved to achieve the healthiest outcomes for all?
Communities also require education in the space of tobacco harm reduction and vaping because unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation being disseminated that is causing a lot of confusion.
How could this improve and what can we do to help educate others within our Australian communities?
