More than 10 million vapes seized in Australia since import ban

Australia Broadcast Center

16-07-2025

Almost half a billon dollars worth of vapes have been taken off the street since new laws came into force 18 months ago as research shows fewer young Australians are taking up vaping.
The Therapeutic Goods Authority and Australian Border Force (ABF) said they have seized more than 10 million vapes since they were banned at the start of 2024.
The federal government said the street value was worth almost half a billion dollars.
In the past year, other reforms have also come into place like limiting the sale of vapes to pharmacies and banning vaping advertising.
ABF Assistant Commissioner Tony Smith said authorities were determined to continue disrupting the trade.
"It's a market that targets our communities including our children," he said.
"[It] sends profits into the hands of organised crime, profits that are used to cause further harm through intimidation tactics, arson, firearms, drugs and even cyber crime."
Assistant Commissioner Smith said the ABF had "ramped up" its engagements with countries in South Asia and South East Asia, and has officers working in the United Kingdom, Thailand and Hong Kong to stem the flow of illegal vaping products entering Australia.
"In the last financial year, ABF officers made on average 120 detections a day, contributing to 10 million vapes, 2.5 billion cigarette sticks and 435 tonnes of illicit tobacco," he said.
Meanwhile, government-funded research from the Cancer Council and University of Sydney has found fewer young people are taking up vaping.
The Generation Vape Research Project conducted an anonymous survey of 3,000 young Australians.
It showed from 2023 to mid-2025, vaping rates among 18 to 24-year-olds dropped from 20 to 18 per cent.
From 2023 to late 2024, the number of 14 to 17-year-olds vaping decreased from 18 per cent to 15 per cent.
It also found those who had never smoked or even had a few puffs of a cigarette was at its highest rate on record at 94 per cent.
"The peak vaping rates appear to be behind us," University of Sydney Professor Becky Freeman said.
She said young people used to think vaping was harmless and perceived differently to "your grandfather's stinky cigarette", but attitudes have shifted.
"They can't believe that something that they were just using at parties for fun on the weekends, that they were told if they took to music festivals would be a great way to enhance their good time.
"Now their wellbeing is being impacted, they're waking up with a vape under their pillow."
Dr Freeman said law enforcement, education, mass media campaigns and quitting support needed to continue.
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said import controls contributed to the decline in youth vaping rates.
"It looks like we have turned a corner and at least stopped the explosion in vaping among young Australians that was emerging as one of the most significant public health challenges for our community," he said.
Mr Butler said some vaping products still "leak" through the border.
"From the time we put this ban in place we never pretended we'd be able to stop every vape coming in," he said.
"But we do know that it is harder to get your hands on a disposable vape … that's led to a very significant increase in the price of vapes where they are still accessible, and that's having a positive impact on young people."