It is no surprise that staff are not keen to speak with the ABC, given the sale of vapes at these stores is illegal.
Deakin University criminologist James Martin said with a value of about $2 billion, vaping was the second-largest illegal drug market, behind cannabis."And when there's huge demand and easily available supply, there's a lot of money to be made."ABC Gold Coast: Dominic CansdaleWhile the federal government introduced world-first anti-vaping laws this year, Dr Martin said that the supply of illegal vapes remained "well and truly alive".
While she opposed their sale, associate professor at the University of Sydney's School of Public Health, Becky Freeman, said there were quality standards applied to vapes sold in pharmacies around nicotine concentration."Unlike when these illicit products were being sold in convenience stores where we have no idea what was in them or who was manufacturing it," Dr Freeman said.
The Commonwealth government's "world-leading" vape ban is expected to come into effect next week, but sudden changes mean they will be easier to buy in October."It's just making sure we have enough enforcement officers to go out and enforce the law." "I'm deadly serious about enforcing these and we're continuing to work with state government to get through the system and see these things taken out of the hands of our kids."