Vaping is something that has really taken off during the past 5 years or so, and more and more people are turning to it as an alternative to smoking. Some people are vaping as an attempt to quit smoking cigarettes, while others are simply trying it for the first time, having been non-smokers.

Vaping is when you use an electronic device to inhale the vapour that derives from the heated liquid in the device, whereas with classic smoking, you are burning tobacco leaf and inhaling the nicotine through the cigarette. In fact, vape devices are often referred to as e-cigarettes. There is still a lot of debate vaping, and though it is said to be less harmful than smoking, it is still not entirely safe.

On 19 June 2020, it was announced by the Australian Health Minister Mr Greg Hunt, that from 1 July it would be illegal to import nicotine into Australia where the substance would be used for vaping. There would also be a huge fine of more than $200,000 to anyone breaking this ban.

There was a pathway that was opened up that would have allowed nicotine to be imported with a prescription from a doctor, but this was deemed unworkable and was an extremely time consuming and complex proposal.

There was huge outcry and a lot of angry people when this new legislation was announced, and it looks like there would be a total ban on vaping in the country. This fueled a lot of peoples fears that the only place they would be able to get their supplies from would be the blackmarket, paying higher prices for what could potentially be very bad quality.

There were also a number of organizations that disagreed with the Australian vape ban, as well as a number of Coalition MPs who all spoke up against the new ban on vape liquid containing nicotine.

The moment the import ban was announced, the vaping community all came together to try and get the import ban scrapped. Many organizations joined together and created a coalition in order to better fight the legislation and a powerful protest campaign was launched.

A campaign to help fund the fight against the import ban quickly raised $35,000. Matthew Canavan, an Australian Senator and George Christensen, an MP, decided to start a petition to try and overturn the ban and to have the importation regulated and properly legalized. In just a few days, the petition had over 70,000 signatures.

Social media also came into play, and the hashtag #vapingsavedme was used all over Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, raising awareness of the fight against the import bad. Lots of vapers made videos to share their stories online and there were also nots of publicity for the campaign on television and radio.

It wasn’t too long before there was a backlash from members of the coalition government, who sent a letter to the Prime Minister about the negative impacts of the import ban, and how a lot of people who vaped would go back to smoking, due to not being able to buy the vaping liquids they had grown so accustomed to.

On 26 June, just one week after the ban on imported vape liquids containing nicotine was announced, it was decided that the ban would be delayed for a period of 6 months, and come into effect on 1 January 2021.

The Health Minister has spoken about the plans to reintroduce the ban on nicotine e-liquid, but that the new legislation would be much more streamlined. One of the main arguments of enforcing this ban is that Mr. Hunt believes that it will stop non-smokers from developing an addiction for nicotine.

He has also spoken about the number of deaths from nicotine poisoning almost doubling in cases between 2018 and 2019. However, he did acknowledge that there were, and still are, a large number of people who are using e-cigarettes as a means to stop smoking cigarettes and accepted that they do offer help to some people.

With several months until the new ban comes into effect, it is hoped by Mr. Hunt and other members of the government and health community that this delay will give people additional time to speak to their doctors and find alternative ways in which they can stop smoking.

For many years before the introduction of vaping, large numbers of people around the world were successfully able to quit smoking using a variety of products such as nicotine chewing gum, sprays and also patches. There have also been many people who have simply gone cold turkey and have been able to quit smoking.

However, not everyone finds quitting smoking so easy, and there are a large number of people who may have been able to quit smoking for a period of time ranging from a few weeks to several months, but who then start again, either due to a simple lack of willpower, or that their nicotine addiction is simply too strong.

One of the most common New Year's resolutions around the world is to quit smoking, so maybe the day the new ban comes into effect, it might act as motivation for some people to try and kick the habit.

Though it has not been discussed that there will be a complete ban on vaping in Australia, there are some concerns that when the new law comes into effect in January, there may be similar ones to follow, all of which lead to the restriction of vaping devices and liquids on the market.

There is still the potential that vapers will be able to continue vaping, but only if they have a prescription to them provided by their local doctors. Whether or not this is eventually enforced remains to be seen, but for the next few months, there is concern and anxiety about what the future holds for vapers.

There are some that agree with the ban and see it as a step forward to prevent people from starting vaping and then becoming addicted, but there are others who can appreciate how it can help people who wish to quit smoking cigarettes or other tobacco products once and for all.