Australia mulling to outlaw vape sales outside pharmacies from next week

Australia plans to outlaw the sale of vapes outside pharmacies from next week under some of the world's toughest restrictions on electronic cigarettes, the health minister said on Monday.

The government had reached a compromise with the minor Greens party to get the legislated restrictions through the Senate this week, Health Minister Mark Butler and the party said.

Our world-leading laws will return vapes and e-cigarettes to what they were originally sold to the Australian community and to governments around the world as therapeutic products to help hardened smokers kick the habit, Butler said in a statement.

From Monday next week, it will be unlawful to supply, manufacture, import or sell a vape outside a pharmacy in Australia, he said. The ban applies to all vapes regardless of whether they contain nicotine.

There are currently no restrictions on what retail outlets can sell vapes. Many products do not disclose that they contain nicotine.

The Greens had insisted on amendments t