by Pippa Starr
19 February 2025
Senator Susan McDonald is either Nostradamus or has her finger on the pulse of what is really happenning at ground level in Australia.
On June 25 last year she said 3 key important things:
1."selling vapes through a pharmacy is not going to solve the illegal vape trade."
2. "Thanks to Labor and the Greens getting together, we're going to pass legislation which will not address the illegal activities, will not protect our children, and will see illegal vape shops continue to flourish right around the country."
3. "those people who'd like to think that big tobacco is manufacturing them, that is in your wildest fantasy, because they are coming out of factories that are not legal and are not managed, and we have no idea what's going into those things."
8 months later, here we are with more illegal vapes than ever before sold with no ID checks or quality controls!
- Only 3% of Vapers know of a chemist in their local area who sell vaping products without a prescription!
- Only 8% of Vapers indicated they would use a local pharmacy to purchase vapes and liquids.
- 87% of Vapers said they wouldn't use a local pharmacy due to flavour restrictions.
- 85% of Vapers said they wouldn't get a device or parts they prefer to use at a local pharmacy.
- 74% of Vapers said they wouldn't be able to choose the nicotine strength.
- 77% of Vapers indicated products at a local pharmacy are too expensive.
- 59% of Vapers said they're not willing to sit though a consult with a pharmacist.
That's why >1% of vapers get vapes from chemists!
Which means >99% of vapers are buying from an illicit black market!
Senator Ross Cadell asked an extremely important question to a senate inquiry into the legislation that is at the core of what has caused this deplorable ourcome.
He asked,
"What does success look like?"
They said, 'We haven't looked at that.'
On 21 November Ross Cadell said,
"Well, they can look out the window and they can see what failure looks like now. Failure is 150 firebombings of businesses throughout Australia. Failure is only 3½ thousand vapes going across the counter at pharmacists in the last month. Failure is one in 100 pharmacists agreeing to do it because they don't want to be firebombed. Failure is 400,000 vapes a month being caught illegally, and that's only the tip of the iceberg."
Here we on February 18, approaching an election, with news stories of vape litter soaring as vapes explode in waste due to the absolute failure of Australian Govt legislation on vapes.
The Greens promised places to dispose of them at chemists. Not only does it appear that this hasn't happened, most vapers aren't going into chemists when it comes to getting their vape supplies!
It's past time to put an end to this Labor Govt farce!
A recent survey also measured 94% of adult vapers will be voting for the parties that support sensible risk proportionate regulation of vapes in retail stores!
So far the vaping prohibitions have cost the Australian economy billions, between Govt spending, first responders to firebombings and much more!
Put the parties who support tobacco harm reduction done sensibly ahead in this coming election!