However, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia wants prescriptions to remain in place, arguing pharmacists were healthcare professionals who dispensed medication that had a proven therapeutic benefit.
“Vaping has long-term patient harms, including cancer, lung-scarring and nicotine addiction,” a guild spokesperson said.
But Hamdy believes any move to get vape users out of the unregulated ‘black market’, could be a good one.
“As it is now, we offer patches, gum, inhalers, lozenges and other supports, which do contain nicotine, as a way to get people off smoking,” he said.
“And we would certainly want people to use vapes, not recreationally, but as a means of quitting.
“With our other products, we have different strengths to help people wean off nicotine so if we can use vapes in the same way, it could be a positive move.”
National Vice President of the Guild, Anthony Tassone, believes, however, the amendments compromised community health.
“Pharmacists are healthcare professionals and community pharmacies do not want to supply this potentially harmful, highly addictive product without a prescription,” he said.
Vaping products have not been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and no nicotine-containing vape is listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.
“When we don’t know the long-term effects of vapes on patient safety, how can a pharmacist make an informed decision,” Mr Tassone said.
“We are deeply disappointed that public policy has been developed in a vacuum without consultation prior to these amendments being passed.”
Changes to the Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Bill 2024 will come into effect as early as October this year.
Vape supplier to be chemist only
VAPES will be sold only through pharmacies, with people under 18 banned from buying them unless they have a prescription, in a move that has been slammed by some healthcare professionals but supported by others including Your Discount Chemist Greenacre pharmacist Hamdy Khodary.