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The use of electronic cigarettes has gained popularity in Australia despite legal barriers to trade of nicotine containing products. People of the age 16 or older (as of 2/2/17) are legally aloud to purchase and use e-ciggaretes in the hope of reducing teenagers bad smoking habits. name Fraser, Doug; Weier, Megan (2015). "Vaper's perspectives on electronic cigarette regulation in Australia". The International Journal of Drug Policy. 26: 589–94. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2015.01.019. PMID 25724266. [2]</ref> Their use has increased rapidly since their invention in 2003 with an estimated US$3 billion in sales worldwide. Australia is one of many countries currently developing regulations of these devices.
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Prevalence
The full extent to which e-cigarettes are used in Australia isn’t fully known due to their relatively new introduction to the market. It is however, known that their popularity in the world has increased exponentially since their introduction. Vaping among young people exceeded traditional smoking in 2013. According to an online survey 97% of participants had been daily smokers prior to smoking e-cigarettes. 47% of participants found out about e-cigarettes by word of mouth from either a friend or family member. A higher proportion of Australian's are smoking these products due to them being marketed as a "cleaner" nicotine product.
Youth use
A 2013 national survey found that 15.4% of Australians aged over 14 years had used e-cigarettes in the last 12 months. Concerns have arisen that the e-cigarettes are not suitable for youth as they can act as a gateway towards real cigarette smoking in the future.
Government regulations
Currently there are no laws in Australia pertaining to the regulation of electronic cigarettes. Although there are a number of laws relating the regulation of nicotine as it is seen as a "schedule 7 dangerous poison." The sale of e-cigarettes have to be registered with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) previously in order to be sold lawfully (Victoria, 2015). Many states have introduced laws making the sale of nicotine products to minors illegal. The quality and safety of e-cigarettes has not been properly evaluated by the TGA. Importation of e-cigarettes and their related products is illegal unless approved by the TGA first. The laws regarding to the distribution and ownership of e-cigarettes in Australia are complex. This is mainly due to their recent invention and lack of information, though a recent UK study states electronic cigarettes are 95% safer than tobacco smoke.