The South Australian government has invested $16 million in a new taskforce to detect and disrupt the supply of unlawful vapes.
More than 3,500 vapes have been seized through the efforts of SA enforcement officials since 1 July 2024 with more than 200 inspections, 450 tip offs and a series of raids conducted, with the total value of seized illicit vapes and illegal tobacco in South Australia approximately $680,000.
Chris Picton, SA Health Minister, said vaping is a health crisis and we need to do everything we can to stamp it out.
“I am really concerned about the impact on young people, with new research showing the rate of 15 to 29-year-old South Australians vaping has nearly doubled in a year, from 8.4 per cent in 2022 to 15.1 per cent in 2023.
“Vapes have huge amounts of nicotine and a cocktail of nasty chemicals, leading to awful addiction problems for our young people.”
Further raids will be conducted this week by SA enforcement officials, officers of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), officials in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, along with other states, to target those seeking to profit from the unlawful supply of vapes.
Mark Butler, Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care, said his government is keeping illegal vapes out of the hands of the next generation of young Australians.
“I am pleased with the strong commitment by states and territories, including the South Australian Government, to stamp out vapes being unlawfully supplied and thank them for their ongoing work.”
Across the country, more than 5.2 million illicit vapes and vaping products have been seized so far this year. Of these, more than 2 million vapes have been seized since the commencement of the new vaping laws on 1 July 2024.
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