Being an isolated island nation, Australia has some rather unique laws in place to help control the flow of goods into and out of the country. In particular, nicotine is one of the substances over which Australia exerts the tightest control. In Australia, anything that isn’t a tobacco product or an approved nicotine replacement product is a controlled substance and therefore isn’t available to purchase in standard retail establishments. When it comes to vaping products like JUUL, Australia is a region in which consumers have no local buying options.
The good news, though, is that Australia’s laws leave room for the possibility that people might have legitimate reasons to require controlled substances – and that’s why it’s still possible to buy JUUL from companies like premiumvapeaustralia.com.au despite the ban on over-the-counter purchases. In this article, we’ll provide an overview of how Australia’s vaping laws work. We’ll also discuss the features that have made JUUL such a popular e-cigarette brand. We’ll conclude the article by describing some alternative types of devices that you might also want to consider if you’re switching to vaping.
What Are Australia’s Vaping Laws?
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, nicotine is a controlled substance in Australia unless it comes in the form of a tobacco product or an approved nicotine replacement product. Both of those things are available for adults to purchase from standard retailers. Alternative nicotine products, however, are controlled substances and aren’t available from standard retailers. Those products include:
- Bottled e-liquid with nicotine
- Pre-filled e-cigarette cartridges or pods with nicotine
- Disposable e-cigarettes with nicotine
Vaping itself is legal in Australia, so vaping hardware and nicotine-free e-liquid products can both be purchased legally.
As mentioned above, Australia’s controlled substance laws do leave room for the possibility that people may legitimately need certain substances that aren’t available through standard retail channels. The law addressing that possibility is called the Therapeutic Goods Administration Personal Importation Scheme. Although you can’t buy vaping products with nicotine through standard retail channels, you can import those products if a doctor provides a prescription confirming that the products are necessary for your health.
Since the purpose of vaping is to help yourself quit smoking, obtaining a prescription for e-liquid usually isn’t too difficult. Once you’ve done that, you can import vaping products with nicotine from any international seller that ships to Australia. You can also have e-liquid made at a compounding pharmacy, but most people choose the personal importation route.
Why Is JUUL So Popular?
JUUL is the world’s best-known vaping product because it introduced two major advancements in vaping technology that have since become commonplace. The first advancement is nicotine salt e-liquid, a new type of vape juice that uses the salt form of nicotine rather than the freebase form. Compared to freebase nicotine, nicotine salt e-liquid makes it possible to inhale a greater amount of nicotine per puff without experiencing throat irritation. JUUL’s then-parent company – PAX Labs – registered a patent to protect its invention.
The second feature that has helped to make JUUL so popular is the fact that it was the device that popularized the pod-based design that has since become incredibly common throughout the vaping industry. Consumers have preferred pod-based e-cigarettes over the old style of e-cigarettes with twist-on cartridges for several reasons.
- The pods generally hold more e-liquid and produce larger vapor clouds.
- Pod-based e-cigarettes are slightly larger than cigarette-shaped devices and therefore offer better battery life.
- Vape pods are clear, so you always know how much e-liquid you have left.
- People simply enjoy the tactile sensation of pushing a pod into a device.
While JUUL is an incredibly popular vaping device, there are many different ways to vape. Devices with pre-filled disposable pods represent just one vaping paradigm. Next, we’ll discuss some of the other options available to today’s vapers.
What Other Types of Vaping Products Are Available?
Is an e-cigarette with pre-filled pods the right type of vaping device for you? Many people do enjoy that type of e-cigarette for its sleekness and convenience, but pre-filled pod systems also have certain drawbacks such as limited flavor selections and a high cost per pod. These are some of the alternatives that are also great for beginning vapers.
- Disposable E-Cigarettes: Buying a disposable e-cigarette is the easiest way to introduce yourself to vaping because a disposable vape is ready to use right out of the package. Just open the package and puff to vape – that’s it. A disposable e-cigarette usually lasts for up to 200 puffs, so it’s about the equivalent of one pack of cigarettes. There are also some slightly larger models that can deliver up to 400 puffs. A disposable e-cigarette is the simplest and most convenient type of vaping device, but it does have a drawback for Australians in that importing a sufficient number of units for everyday vaping could get expensive.
- Refillable Pod Systems: A refillable pod system is similar in functionality to a device like the JUUL. Rather than buying pre-filled pods that are only intended to be used once, though, you’ll buy empty pods and fill them yourself with bottled e-liquid. A refillable pod system may not be as convenient as a pre-filled system, but it’s less expensive to use because bottled e-liquid costs less than single-used pods. Buying bottled e-liquid also allows you to enjoy a much wider variety of flavors.
- Vape Pens: When you use any refillable vaping device, you have the benefit of being able to get your vaping hardware – such as devices and replacement pods or atomizer coils – locally. The only supply that you’ll need to import is your e-liquid. That benefit is true of both vape pens and refillable pod systems. Compared to refillable pod systems, vape pens are a little less convenient because you’ll need to periodically replace your atomizer coil in addition to refilling the tank. Compared to pod systems, though, vape pens typically offer superior vapor production and battery life. That may make them better options for those with greater nicotine needs.