Australia consulting on nicotine

Australia is to consider relaxing its rules governing the use of nicotine in vapor devices.

In a note posted on its website, Australia’s Therapeutics Goods Administration said it was seeking comments on proposed amendments to the Poisons Standard referred by the delegate for scheduling advice to the Advisory Committee on Medicines Scheduling.

The note said that an applicant had ‘proposed to exempt nicotine from Schedule 7 at concentrations of 3.6 percent or less of nicotine for self-administration with an electronic nicotine delivery system (‘personal vaporiser’ or ‘electronic cigarette’) for the purpose of tobacco harm reduction’.

People have until September 1 to respond to the consultation.

Earlier this week, the New Zealand government was reported to have agreed in principle that, with ‘appropriate controls’ in place, nicotine for electronic cigarettes should be legally available in that country.