The Albanese government has appointed Erin Dale as its inaugural Illicit Tobacco and E-cigarette Commissioner, to ramp up its crackdown on nicotine vapes. or signup to continue reading Ms Dale told reporters in Canberra on Monday that it was "a critical time for law enforcement response to tackle this crime" given the well-established evidence of harm from nicotine vapes. "While the flavours like blueberry, mango and unicorn and also cartoon characters printed on those packages, they are deliberately targeting our children," Ms Dale said.
She called on members of the public to report illicit sales of cigarettes and nicotine vapes, which it is now illegal to sell outside of pharmacies. "My message to public is: we cannot, between law enforcement and health, we cannot do this alone. We need your support, through education, through dobbing in where the cigarettes or illicit cigarettes and substances are sold, we need your support," she said.
Vapers need a GP prescription to access liquid nicotine legally at a chemist until October 1, when participating pharmacies will be able to sell them over-the-counter. Ms Dale, who leads the Tobacco and E-Cigarette Taskforce as Australian Border Force Assistant Commissioner, will act as Illicit Tobacco and E-cigarette Commissioner on an interim basis until a formal appointment is made. She said there was a misconception that illicit vaping was "a victimless crime, but it's far from it".
"The profits made by criminal syndicates actually go on.