Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Nicotine for use in e-cigarettes can't currently lawfully be sold in Australia. The legal use of nicotine for use in e-cigarettes would require an amendment to the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons—that's the Poisons Standard—which is a record of decisions regarding the classification of medicines and chemicals into schedules for inclusion in the relevant legislation of the states and territories. There's a clearly defined process for amending the Poisons Standard to be considered. It's important to note that this is independent from government.

The effect of this decision is that the commercial supply of nicotine for use in e-cigarettes currently remains prohibited under state and territory poisons legislation. We are confident that the TGA's scheduling legislation and the underlying decision-making processes provide a robust mechanism for an assessment and determination of this issue to be made which appropriately balances potential risks and benefits, and this, again, will be informed by the relevant evidence.