Likelihood of Vaping Being Legalized and Sold in Vape Stores Post-Election
As of April 8, 2025, Australia’s vaping laws are among the strictest globally. The Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Act 2024, effective July 1, 2024, bans all vape sales (nicotine and non-nicotine) outside pharmacies, limits flavors to mint, menthol, and tobacco, and caps nicotine at 20 mg/mL for over-the-counter purchases (adults 18+ after pharmacist consultation). Disposable vapes are outright prohibited. This reflects Labor’s public health focus, backed by $737 million in funding to curb vaping and smoking, targeting youth uptake and environmental harm.
The May 3, 2025, election pits Labor (currently led by Anthony Albanese) against the Coalition (Liberal-National), with minor parties and independents potentially influencing outcomes. Here’s the outlook:
- Labor Victory: If Labor retains power, the likelihood of legalizing vape sales in stores is very low (5-10%). Their policy, reinforced by Health Minister Mark Butler, frames vapes as therapeutic tools, not recreational products. Early 2025 data from the Generation Vape study shows declining youth vaping (85.7% of teens as “never-vapers”), suggesting they’ll double down on restrictions. Posts on X and industry critiques highlight a growing black market, but Labor’s response has been enforcement (e.g., Illicit Tobacco Taskforce), not deregulation.
- Coalition Victory: The Coalition offers a higher chance (30-40%) of change. Shadow Health Minister Anne Ruston has pledged to reverse the pharmacy-only model, favoring a regulated, taxed system akin to tobacco, potentially reopening vape stores under licensing. However, their past support for strict vape laws (e.g., 2021 prescription model) and the ban’s entrenchment by May 2025 (nearly a year old) suggest a full rollback might face resistance. A compromise—licensed stores alongside pharmacies—is more plausible but not guaranteed, given health lobby pressure and public support for restrictions (over 70% in consultations).
- Hung Parliament: If neither major party secures a majority, minor players like the Greens (pro-restriction) or One Nation (potentially pro-deregulation) could sway policy. This scenario introduces uncertainty, but the ban’s legislative momentum and cross-party health consensus make reversal unlikely without a strong pro-vaping coalition (15-25% chance).
Key hurdles include the law’s advanced stage, with tightened standards (e.g., plain packaging, device rules) phasing in by July 1, 2025, and bipartisan health priorities. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare notes 1.3 million vapers (7% of those over 14) in 2023, yet legal sales are dwarfed by a $2 billion black market, per criminologist James Martin. This could fuel Coalition arguments for regulation over prohibition, but overturning the ban requires new legislation and political capital post-election, likely delaying changes to late 2025 or 2026.
Overall, the probability of vape stores resuming legal sales by late 2025 is low to moderate (10-40%), highest under a decisive Coalition win with a clear deregulation mandate. Watch manifestos in April 2025 for firm commitments.
Most vapes stores In Australia
Super Vape Store was a notable player in Australia’s vaping retail scene before the July 2024 ban on non-pharmacy vape sales, but it’s difficult to definitively label it as one of the "biggest" without comprehensive sales data, which isn’t publicly available. Here’s what can be pieced together from its pre-ban footprint and reputation.
Super Vape Store operated as a chain with multiple physical locations, primarily in Queensland (e.g., Banyo, Chermside, Mount Gravatt), and a strong online presence, branding itself as “Australia’s Premier Vape Shop.” Its website boasted a wide range of products—e-liquids, vaping kits, e-cigarettes, and accessories—along with claims of top-tier customer service, express shipping on orders over $99, and a 3-month hardware warranty. Customer reviews praised its knowledgeable staff and variety, with comments like “one of the best e-liquid selling stores in Australia” and “amazing service” appearing on its site and social platforms. This suggests a solid reputation and a loyal customer base, key indicators of prominence.
Compared to other major pre-ban retailers like Vape World Australia, Vapoureyes, and Vaper Empire, Super Vape Store’s scale is harder to gauge. Vape World Australia and Vapoureyes, for instance, had broader national reach—Vape World with its aggressive online marketing and Vapoureyes with its award-winning status (e.g., “Best Australian Vape Store” in 2018 from ECigIntelligence) and physical stores in South Australia plus a New Zealand arm. Super Vape Store, while established since at least 2015 (based on its domain registration), seemed more regionally focused, with its brick-and-mortar presence concentrated in Queensland. Its online store likely extended its reach nationwide, but it didn’t appear to match the multi-state physical footprint of, say, Wick and Wire Co in Melbourne or the longevity of Vaper Empire (founded 2012).
Industry chatter on platforms like Reddit’s r/aussievapers and X posts from vapers often lumped Super Vape Store with other reputable names, but it rarely stood out as the top-tier giant. Its closure by July 1, 2024, aligned with the Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Act, which ended all non-pharmacy vape retail. Unlike some competitors who pivoted (e.g., Vaper Empire partnering with pharmacies like MyDuke), Super Vape Store’s online presence faded, with its site now defunct and social media dormant, suggesting it didn’t adapt post-ban.
In terms of “bigness,” factors like store count, revenue, or customer volume are speculative without hard numbers. Super Vape Store likely ranked among the upper tier of mid-sized chains—big enough to be a recognized name, especially in Queensland, but not the undisputed leader like Vapoureyes or Vape World might claim. Its “best” status is subjective, resting on positive reviews for service and selection, but it lacked the industry accolades or national dominance of some peers. Pre-2024, it was a significant player, just not the giant of the Australian vape scene.
100% agree with everything said here. I dont really hold any hope in the goverment in any party. The goverment has themselves buried so deep in big tobbacos bumhole that they each others puppets. Its a fact,push people back onto smoking ciggys and its a win win for both of them. Even with big tobbaco now involved in the pharmacy vapes and only supplying soon to be refilled pod systems that are tobbaco flavours,that taste putrid is another way to push people back on to the ciggys. Id rather honestly suck in s gun barrel then go back to smoking. This is why i appreciate you guys. You do a stella job and its appreciated, well i hope it is,by all. Im actually shocked that no one else has commented on here,although i did only just notice it myself. Cheers for all the help with fixing up my orders to,hopefully the next one gets to the right letterbox 😂. I say that light-hearted to,no sarcasim.cheers for everything. D
100% agree with everything said here. I dont really hold any hope in the goverment in any party. The goverment has themselves buried so deep in big tobbacos bumhole that they each others puppets. Its a fact,push people back onto smoking ciggys and its a win win for both of them. Even with big tobbaco now involved in the pharmacy vapes and only supplying soon to be refilled pod systems that are tobbaco flavours,that taste putrid is another way to push people back on to the ciggys. Id rather honestly suck in s gun barrel then go back to smoking. This is why i appreciate you guys. You do a stella job and its appreciated, well i hope it is,by all. Im actually shocked that no one else has commented on here,although i did only just notice it myself. Cheers for all the help with fixing up my orders to,hopefully the next one gets to the right letterbox 😂. I say that light-hearted to,no sarcasim.cheers for everything. D