Prescriptions

We can no longer provide access to third party prescription services. The below information will remain for archival purposes. 01/03/2024


How to get a prescription

You can speak to your personal GP about obtaining a prescription for nicotine, but they do need to be an Authorised Prescriber.

The easier option is to use one of the online services. These online services provide a quick and simple process in which an Australian GP assess your personal situation to determine if a nicotine prescription is the appopriate treatment for you.

Below you can set up an appointment for prescription services and pay without having to leave this website. Please follow the steps in the window below...

Overview

From 1 October 2021, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) part of the Australian Government Department of Health responsible for regulating therapeutic goods, determined that Australians should not have ready access to Vapes without prescriptions. They did not regulate cigarettes which have massive Government duties and excise taxes and have been proven to be (at this stage) far more harmful than vaping.

Nevertheless, you will no longer be able to l egally buy nicotine-based vaping products, such as nicotine e-cigarettes, nicotine pods and liquid nicotine, from overseas websites without first getting a prescription.

Most customers on this site from Australia either have a prescription, can get a prescription, or take a risk they won’t be asked to provide one by Border Force.

We provide links to sites we have confirmed as legitimate sites to obtain a valid prescription.

Regulation

The Therapeutic Goods (Standard for Nicotine Vaping Products) (TGO 110) Order 2021 (TGO 110) is a product standard made under section 10 of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989(Act). TGO 110 sets out minimum safety and quality requirements for nicotine vaping products that are not registered in the ARTG (Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods)  and that are imported into, supplied, sold, or exported from Australia. All nicotine vaping products currently available in Australia are unregistered nicotine vaping products (NVP).

For further information about the regulations, refer to our Prescriptions page links in The BOOK of Frequently Asked Questions under the section Nicotine Ban. 

Personal Importation Scheme

Under the Personal Importation Scheme, you may import a 3-month supply at one time (at the maximum dose recommended by the manufacturer) of unapproved therapeutic goods into Australia without any approval required by the TGA provided that:

  • the goods are for your own treatment or the treatment of your immediate family; and
  • you do not supply (sell or give) the medicine to any other person; and
  • where possible, you keep the medicines or medical devices in their original packaging with any dispensing labels intact; and
  • the goods are not restricted under Australian Customs controls or quarantine rules and the goods do not contain a controlled substance; [note from site admin... Nicotine Vapes are not a restricted import] and
  • the goods are not injections that contain material of human or animal origin (except insulin); and
  • the total quantity of the goods imported within a 12-month period does not exceed 15 months’ supply of the goods (for medicines, at the maximum dose recommended by the manufacturer); and
  • if the goods are medicines in Schedule 4 or 8 of the Poisons Standard a prescription from an Australian-registered medical practitioner is held for the medicines. [Nicotine Vapes are listed and have been added into schedule 4 of the poisons standard]

Under the TGA’s Personal Importation Scheme, an Australian customer is allowed to import up to 3 months' worth of an unregistered nicotine vaping product [NVP] for themselves or an immediate family member if they have a valid prescription. If you wish to bring more than 3 months supply at the one time into Australia, an Australian-registered doctor will first need to apply to the TGA for Special Access Scheme approval. 

More detailed information regarding the Personal Importation Scheme can be found here on the TGA website.

Authorised Prescriber - Special Access or Clinical Trial Schemes.

This is where we supply approved and correctly labelled products to authorised entities.

Under the Authorised Prescriber (AP) scheme, the Special Access Scheme Category B (SAS B) or the Clinical Trial Approval (CTA) scheme a supplier within Australia can import and/or supply the unapproved product prior to the pharmacy receiving a prescription under the Authorised Prescriber (AP) scheme or Special Access Scheme Category B (SAS B). This means that pharmacies can keep unapproved nicotine vaping products supplied by HQD Tech in their dispensaries for the purpose of dispensing, but prior to the receipt of, prescriptions under the AP scheme or SAS B.

Entities wishing to prescribe can find more information about this on the TGA website


 

The Australian Government says                                                 The New Zealand Government says

Department of Health

E-cigarettes are devices that make vapour for inhalation, simulating cigarette smoking. They are sometimes marketed as a way to quit smoking, but there's not enough evidence to show that they help – or are safe. In Australia, all e-cigarettes that contain nicotine require a prescription.

Therapeutic Goods Administration

As of 1 October 2021, consumers need a valid prescription to legally import nicotine vaping products, such as nicotine e-cigarettes, nicotine pods and liquid nicotine, from an overseas website. A valid prescription is already required to purchase nicotine vaping products from Australian pharmacies. It was already and remains illegal for other Australian retailers, such as tobacconists, 'vape' shops and convenience stores, to sell consumers nicotine vaping products, even if the consumer has a prescription.

New Zealand Ministry of Health

Expert opinion is that vaping products are much less harmful than smoking tobacco but not completely harmless. A range of toxicants have been found in vapour, including some cancer causing agents but, in general, at levels much lower than found in cigarette smoke or at levels that are unlikely to cause harm. Smokers switching to vaping products are highly likely to reduce the risks to their health and those around them.

When used as intended, vaping products pose no risk of nicotine poisoning to users, but vaping liquids should be in child-resistant packaging. Vaping products release negligible levels of nicotine and other toxicants into ambient air with no identified health risks to bystanders.

There is no international evidence that vaping products are undermining the long-term decline in cigarette smoking among adults and youth, and may in fact be contributing to it

Despite some experimentation with vaping products among never smokers, vaping products are attracting very few people who have never smoked into regular vaping, including young people 

When used as intended, vaping products pose no risk of nicotine poisoning to users, but vaping liquids should be in child resistant packaging

The Ministry of Health is identifying safety standards for vaping products in New Zealand. In the meantime, vapers should buy their products from a reputable source, such as a specialist retailer.


Prescription Questions

Where can I get a prescription for Nicotine?

  • Follow the link and notes set out in the middle of this page 'How to get a prescription'. 
  • If you have trouble with our direct booking system you can also You can use online services such as QuitRX, QuitClinics or MyNicotine Prescription . These clinics all support those vapers transitioning from smoking to obtain valid prescriptions for their nicotine needs and maintain their harm reduction strategy.

Do I have to have a prescription?

  • From 1 October 2021, TGA has passed legislation that made Nicotine (The nicotine liquid stuff inside the vape and not the vape) a Schedule 4 (Prescription only ) substance. The TGA now says a prescription is required for all purchases of nicotine vaping products, such as nicotine e-cigarettes, nicotine pods and liquid nicotine. This includes products purchased both in Australia and imported from overseas suppliers.
  • Previously most States have required a prescription. This legislation simply formalises something that has been in place for a considerable time in some States 
  • TGA Regulatory changes to importing nicotine vaping products state these changes balance the need to prevent adolescents and young adults from taking-up nicotine vaping products while allowing current smokers to access these products for smoking cessation with appropriate medical advice. The TGA is clear and supports the notion that you should use vaping products as a means to quit smoking harmful cigarettes.
  • The legislation says a prescription is required. State and Federal laws also say you must drive at 50 or 60Kmh/hr or 100km/hr on some or 110km/hr on others. freeways. The local Council by-laws say you can't do this, that, and the other thing. Australia is a country governed by Federal rules, State rules, Local Council by-laws and rules and mum and dad rules.  You have to decide what rules you are following. 

Do I have to upload my prescription, or what do I do with it?

  • The onus is on you, our valued customer, to obtain a script. We will follow your instructions and accept your order, provided you have checked into our site correctly. There is no legal requirement for you to send us the prescription. The onus is with you, not with us. IF you send us a prescription we will maintain the security of that information, and we are aware it contains sensitive information. You can also load your prescription into your secured site account. This site has full end-to-end encryption through Adobe Commerce.
  • You can do one of four things...
  1. Send us a script after you have placed your order simply by opening up our floating support icon, putting in your name and email and dragging the file(s) over the 'Attachments' section.
  2. Email our support team with your script.
  3. Wait for your order to arrive, and if it is held for inspection by Australia Post or Border Force and they request a script, then send it on to them. You can follow your order at every stage.
  4. Do nothing and see what happens.

What if my order gets stopped and inspected by Border Force?

  • If your order is held for inspection by Australia Post or Border Force and they request a script, you would send it to them or arrange for a script. 
  • If your order is not released and you have taken out our shipment insurance, we will re-ship your order.

What is the TGA standard for Nicotine Vaping TGO 110?

Are my products free of these banned substances?

  • 2,3-pentanedione 
  • acetoin
  • benzaldehyde
  • cinnamaldehyde
  • diacetyl
  • diethylene glycol
  • dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate
  • ethylene glycol
  • We require complete MSDS data sheets and ingredients lists for all products we are stocking from our suppliers. These are checked for compliance.

How did the Australian Government get to bring in such draconian controls and force me to consider Cigarette smoking?

  • The Australian Government lost the plot in 2020 and 2021 and decided that Government knows best. The New Zealand Government has taken a far more sensible approach by regulating the NZ industry, compliance measures, and checks. They are banning the more harmful cigarette smoking over a phase-out period and replacing that with vaping. 
  • The Australian Government has decided to support smoking and attempts to ban vaping to increase cigarette smoking which is expensive and carries large excise duties (Government revenue)
  • There is almost little chance that Pharmacies will stock large volumes of vaping products, whereas our facility offers one of the largest collections of disposable products in the region. Our B2B systems offer Pharmacies and Chemists many different options and discounts to enable them to procure safely from us, with a next-day delivery into main cities within Australia if required.  
  • The Australian Government should be thankful that we exist. Our company is a registered New Zealand company and a reliable supplier in the marketplace. We guarantee and warrant the products we sell, are constantly innovating and looking to obtain supplies that are of the highest quality, are reliable and are from mainstream suppliers. 

Are General Stores, Service Stations, Car Boots and Vape shops allowed to sell Nicotine Vapes in Australia?

  • No