The Australian government is taking strong action to ban e-cigarettes, especially among teenagers, as part of important changes to smoking rules. Health Minister Mark Butler is worried about the growing use of vaping in schools, which can cause addiction and health problems in young people. The new rules will stop people from importing non-prescription e-cigarettes and make sure they are sold in plain packaging, like medicine, to help people quit smoking. They will also ban colorful packaging and throw-away e-cigarettes that look like ordinary, harmless things. The government will also make tobacco taxes higher every year for the next three years, starting in September.

While it’s good that disposable e-cigarettes will be banned, it’s important to make sure that people who want to quit smoking can still get help with approved vaping products. The government will spend a lot of money on programs to help people quit smoking without using e-cigarettes. In the UK, they have a different plan. They want to help one million smokers quit by giving them starter kits for vaping and support to change their habits.