Nations generally want to ensure that vaping products are available for those who need them and want to use them to help themselves quit smoking. At the same time, they also want to make vaping products unappealing or unavailable for those who aren’t nicotine users already. The ultimate goal is to reduce the harm associated with the current methods of nicotine consumption without giving non-users the false impression that vaping products are non-addictive or completely harmless.
Among the various nations in which vaping is legal, Australia is completely unique. It is perhaps the only nation in the world in which you can buy popular vaping products like JUULpods but can’t get them from any domestic store. Instead, your only option is to import them from overseas sellers.
So, how can you buy JUULpods in Australia? The process isn’t easy, but you can definitely do it. There’s a bit of red tape involved – but never fear. In this article, we’ll walk you through the process.
What Are Australia’s Regulations for Vaping Products?
Vaping regulations in Australia center around the fact that Australian law treats nicotine as a dangerous poison. Nicotine, therefore, is a controlled substance in Australia. The only exceptions to this rule are traditional tobacco products like cigarettes and cigars and nicotine replacement products with approval for therapeutic use, such as nicotine gums and patches. Those products are available to purchase over the counter from traditional retailers, but new nicotine products – such as e-liquid and JUULpods – aren’t.
Although vaping products with nicotine are controlled substances in Australia, there is an exception that allows you to buy those products anyway. That exception is the Personal Importation Scheme, which is overseen by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. The Personal Importation Scheme allows you to import vaping products with nicotine from overseas sellers – but before you can do that, you need to obtain a prescription.
What’s the Process for Buying JUULpods in Australia?
As we described above, the process for buying JUULpods in Australia is twofold. First, you need to obtain a doctor’s prescription for nicotine – and second, you need to import the pods from an overseas seller. Here’s an overview of how those two steps work.
First, a doctor needs to write a prescription for the vaping products that you wish to buy. It’s helpful if your doctor has some understanding of how vaping works because the
prescription should be for the same quantity of nicotine that you intend to buy. If your usual doctor is unwilling or unable to write a prescription, the Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association maintains a list of doctors who can help. Once you have the prescription, you’re free to import the quantity of JUULpods stated on the prescription.
· Find an overseas seller that ships JUULpods to Australia and place your order.
When it’s time for you to order your JUULpods and have them shipped to Australia, you should strongly consider ordering from a company in New Zealand like Premium Vape. You’re still satisfying the requirement of importing the products from an overseas vendor – but because New Zealand is close, you won’t need to wait long for the products to arrive. In addition, companies in New Zealand understand Australia’s vaping regulations and are set up to ensure that you’re in full compliance. Premium Vape, for example, works with its shipping partner DHL to make your prescription a part of the shipment’s digital record. That helps to prevent your package from being delayed upon entry into Australia.
Can You Get JUULpods From an Australian Pharmacy?
The fact that vaping products with nicotine require prescriptions in Australia does mean that you can theoretically buy those products from pharmacies. In practice, though, the selection is extremely limited. To date, no vaping product has been approved for therapeutic use in Australia. Self-contained vaping products such as pod-based systems and disposable vapes, therefore, aren’t available in Australian pharmacies.
It is possible to buy e-liquid with nicotine from a compounding pharmacy once you have a prescription. Not all compounding pharmacies have the ingredients to make e-liquid, though, and you may also find that the experience isn’t all that you’re hoping it will be. Commercially produced e-liquid is a consumer product, and companies try to flavor their e-liquids in appealing ways. That’s partly to help those e-liquids sell and partly because appealing e-liquid flavors help people quit smoking. To a compounding pharmacy, on the other hand, e-liquid is a medicine; the flavor may not be much of a concern. The e-liquid may not taste very good and may not be particularly enjoyable to use.
Most people in Australia who vape and use nicotine import their products from overseas vendors because there’s much more variety available and because the products are usually more enjoyable to use than what’s produced at compounding pharmacies.
Can You Buy Any Vaping Products Locally in Australia?
You can buy vaping products at local stores in Australia, but those products can’t contain nicotine. Since all JUUL products contain nicotine, you can’t buy a JUUL device or JUULpods in Australia without importing them from overseas sellers. Vape shops do exist in Australia, though, and that’s because they can still provide a valuable service to the community even if they can’t sell e-liquid with nicotine.
If you use a refillable vaping device, you’ll be glad to have local vape shops in Australia because you’re free to buy any vaping hardware locally as long as it doesn’t have nicotine. If you use a refillable device, that means there’s no need to import all of your vaping supplies. You can import your e-liquid while buying your devices and replacement pods or coils locally.
Another thing to consider is that, although Australian vape shops can’t sell e-liquid with nicotine, they can sell nicotine-free vape juice. Many people in Australia have quit smoking successfully without using any nicotine at all. Nicotine-free e-liquid is also useful for people who want to vape with nicotine at first and eventually taper off their nicotine intake. Most Australian vapers do use nicotine, though – and if you’re going to be a JUUL user, the only way to buy JUULpods in Australia is by importing them.
