Australia: E-cigarettes to Face Same Bans As Tobacco in Queensland

Source from:  AAP (Australian Associated Press) (au)  09/10/2014

Queensland e-cigarette users will soon see the freedoms they enjoy over traditional smokers turn to ash. Their state will become the first in Australia to subject e-cigarette users to the same laws as those for people who puff on regular cigarettes.

Amendments to the Tobacco Act will become effective on 1 January 2015, ensuring restrictions on regular cigarettes, such as not smoking in public areas, also apply to their electronic counterparts.

The Cancer Council Queensland chief executive, Professor Jeff Dunn, says the amendments follow his organisation's lobbying for tough regulation of the sale and use of e-cigarettes.

"E-cigarettes are a significant threat to public health – no e-cigarette has been tested for quality, safety or performance by the Therapeutic Goods Administration," Dunn said.

"The liquid nicotine used in e-cigarettes is currently illegal in Australia and has not been deemed safe for use by medical experts and health authorities.

"These new laws are an important step toward a smoke-free future and another great step in ensuring the health and safety of Queenslanders in their local communities."

The laws will prevent e-cigarettes being sold to children, ban their use in indoor or outdoor public places and ensure no promotion or advertisement of the products in retail outlets. Enditem