CANBERRA, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Health Minister Mark Butler has flagged a government crackdown on the black market vaping industry revealing on Tuesday that the federal government will bolster the regulatory framework around e-cigarettes.
Under Australian laws, it is illegal to use, sell or buy nicotine e-cigarette products without a prescription from a doctor.
Despite the current restrictions, according to The Australian newspaper, about 1.1 million Australians use vaping products.
"The rate of young Australians aged 18-24 who reported using e-cigarettes nearly doubled, from 2.8 percent in 2016 to 5.3 percent in 2019," the minister told News Corp Australia.
"Our government is concerned about the increased marketing and use of e-cigarettes, particularly among young people," Butler said.
State and territory health ministers have called for the federal government's help in the crackdown on e-cigarettes.
Meanwhile, the tobacco industry has called for e-cigarettes to be legalized and taxed rather than stricter bans.
"Continuing to increase tobacco excise rates by wage inflation, as currently legislated, combined with legalizing nicotine vaping product sales, would be the path most likely to optimize government tax revenues," a report by London-based firm Llewellyn Consulting, which was commissioned by the company of British American Tobacco, said. ■
