Pharmacists Prioritise Health Over Vape Sales

Table of Contents

• Vaping Dangers: A Public Health Concern
• Pharmacists Are Not Tobacconists
• Standing with Our Community

Cate's Chemist supports many smoking and nicotine cessation therapies. If a patient has a prescription from a GP for a Vape device in support of quitting smoking, ask your pharmacist how we can help. This is very rare, so little or no stock is maintained onsite, but we may be able to order it in.

As October 1st approaches, a significant change in the law of nicotine-containing vapes is on the horizon. Across most of Australia, it becomes legal for these products will become available over-the-counter in pharmacies. However, in Tasmania, vapes will continue to require a prescription, thanks to the Rockliff Government’s decision to set itself apart from other states. This choice reflects the strong concerns around vaping and its impact on public health, particularly among children and young people. Many pharmacies and pharmacists around Australia will follow Tasmania's leadership, even though legislation has changed. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

At Cate's Chemist, we believe community pharmacists are healthcare professionals, dedicated to ensuring the safe and appropriate use of medications, not promoting nicotine products. The decision to allow the sale of vapes over the counter is optional, and many pharmacies, including ours, are choosing not to participate in the sale of products with questionable safety profiles and political motivation.

At the time of writing, there are no TGA approved devices for us to sell, there are no professional practice guidelines for us to use, and there is no affordable professional insurance cover for us to cover the risks.

Vaping Dangers: A Public Health Concern

The rise in vaping among children and teenagers has become a significant public health concern. There is little evidence to support vaping as an effective solution for smoking cessation, and the long-term harms associated with vaping are still not fully understood. Vapes have been shown to contain harmful chemicals like formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, which pose serious risks to lung and cardiovascular health.

The Department of Health and Aged Care has also raised concerns about the rise in nicotine addiction among teenagers, stressing the importance of curbing this alarming trend. As pharmacists, we believe that our responsibility lies in promoting health and wellbeing, not contributing to nicotine addiction.

We have alternative nicotine cessation therapies to provide or refer to other providers. This includes other evidence-based nicotine replacement therapies, pharmacotherapies and behavioural or psychosocial therapies.

Pharmacists Are Not Tobacconists

The "Say No to Vapes" campaign emphasizes that pharmacists are not tobacconists. We did not request the responsibility of selling nicotine-containing products, and we do not believe they belong alongside essential healthcare items in pharmacies. The community overwhelmingly supports this stance. In country towns and rural areas, where pharmacists are already stretched thin, adding another service like the sale of vapes would be impractical and inappropriate.

"Pharmacists, especially those in country towns, are already stretched so thin, and adding another service to their caseload would be ridiculous. A pharmacy is not the appropriate place to supply vapes."

Standing with Our Community

We’ve been met with overwhelming support by the Australian community. Health professionals, mums and dads, concerned citizens from across the country have left messages of support backing community pharmacists' role as promoters and protectors of public health.

At Cate's Chemist, we are committed to providing quality healthcare to our community. We will not be stocking nicotine-containing vapes, as we believe our role is to prioritize the health of our customers, not compromise it. Our decision aligns with the 'Say no to Vapes' campaign, and we are proud to support this campaign to protect the wellbeing of our community.

We encourage anyone seeking more information on the dangers of vaping to visit the campaign page or contact us directly and ask your pharmacist for guidance on safe, evidence-based methods for smoking cessation.