Using an e-cigarette will be treated the same as smoking under a new Queensland law. Photo: AP
Electronic cigarettes and their tobacco counterparts are now considered equal in the eyes of the Queensland government, which has changed laws to ensure if you can’t smoke there, you also can’t vape.
Vaping has become such a popular alternative to tobacco cigarettes, the term “vape” was crowned the word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries earlier this week.
They have been touted as a healthier alternative to heritage smokes, because instead of using tobacco leaf and the associated ingredients found in cigarettes, e-cigarettes heat liquor nicotine which the user inhales as a vapour.
Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said while he believed there was still uncertainty over the device’s health risks and effectiveness as a quit-aid, the government wasn’t looking to ban them outright.
Instead, they will now be treated the same as other tobacco products.
“The intent is to capture all devices that create a vapour that is inhaled into the lungs, regardless of how they operate an whether or not they contain nicotine.
Medical devices, such as asthma inhalers, will remain exempt.
Bongs, hookah and ice-pipes are not included in the new laws because they are dealt with under different legislation.
But if you can’t buy a packet of cigarettes under current laws, you won’t be able to buy vapours or their affiliated products any more either.
As with every other bill passed this year, the government – which holds 73 seats – had no problem passing the legislation.