Friday, March 29, 2024

Australian retailers want to be able to sell e-cigarettes

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According to foreign reports, Australian retailers hope the government will allow small businesses selling cigarettes and other nicotine products to sell less harmful alternative products, such as steam equipment and electronic cigarettes.

The Australian convenience store association (AACS) and the national Retailers Association (NRA) both claim that the federal government’s decision on the sale of smokeless tobacco products will hurt Australian retailers.

Dominique lamb, NRA’s chief executive, said the policy position of convenience and impulse retailing has become increasingly strange after the government lifted its previous ban on steam products.

“Last month, smokeless tobacco products were thought to be so harmful that the government decided that only chemists could sell the products by prescription, once every three months,” lamb said. The same government said it would reverse the imminent ban on the import of atomized products so that individuals were free to buy products from overseas distributors and ship them to Australia. “

Lamb said the law confuses consumers by regulating e-cigarettes and using them as controlled substances, but anyone can buy them online from overseas retailers. “The only people who will be banned from selling smokeless tobacco products will be tens of thousands of retailers who currently rely on cigarette sales but are desperate to provide customers with a less harmful alternative,” he said. The government clearly supports overseas retailers, just as it supports large corporate pharmacies. Unfortunately, it will not support local small businesses in Australia. “

According to the report, AACS also pointed out that the black market of e-cigarettes was increasingly rampant, and stressed the urgent need for the government to regulate the sale of these products through legal and responsible channels.

“Australians can achieve positive health outcomes through the regulation and legal sale of e-cigarettes, because people use e-cigarettes much safer than traditional tobacco. Unfortunately, by limiting the legal sale of products that are clearly in demand, the government’s approach has a negative impact on health, “said Jeff rogate, chief executive of AACS. “The refusal to provide consumers with safer options has led to the development of a black market for e-cigarettes with unknown ingredients and suspicious sources in Australia.”

“Clearly, consumers are looking for safer alternatives than smoking. If health authorities really want to help people quit smoking, they need to urgently provide e-cigarettes legally through responsible retail channels. “

The recent interim decision of the Australian Therapeutic supplies authority (TGA) is to provide e-cigarette products only to pharmacies with prescriptions, which not only endangers health, but also misses opportunities for responsible retailers.

“Australia’s approach to making it more difficult for our citizens to get products that are safer for them is unique around the world,” rogate said.



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