Vaping in Australia

Use of e-cigarettes, or vapes, has increased in Australia in recent years - especially among young people.¹

In response, the Australian Government changed how vapes are regulated.^{2, 3}

While we don’t know the long-term health impacts of vaping yet, evidence suggests that it isn’t risk-free.

Here, we look at vaping in Australia - including vaping-related risks, use among young people, and help and support options.

What is vaping?

Vaping refers to the use of an electronic device (e-cigarette) to heat liquids, producing aerosol, which is then inhaled.

What do vapes contain?

Vapes generally contain a mixture of solvents, chemicals and flavourings/sweeteners.⁴

And the vast majority of illegal vapes in Australia contain nicotine (the main psychoactive drug in tobacco) – even if it doesn’t say so on the packet/device.³

But vapes can also contain other drugs, such as THC (cannabis) e-liquids.

There’s also been recent concern in Australia about vape liquids containing nitazenes, following a police seizure in Sydney.⁵ Nitazenes are a potent synthetic opioid, and pose a high overdose risk. 

Between 2018 and 2025, there were 11 hospitalisations in NSW linked with vapes containing nitazenes. Some were bought intentionally, while others were contaminated, meaning the people who purchased them believed they contained other drugs, such as cannabis and oxycodone.⁶

Nitazenes have been found in other drug samples - visit In The Know for the latest drug alerts from across Australia.

What do vapes look like?

Vaping devices come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and styles. And they’ve changed a lot over time.

• First generation devices looked like cigarettes and were mostly disposable.
• Second generation vapes were rechargeable and used cartridges or tanks for the liquid.
• Third generation (‘mods’) were larger devices with bigger batteries and refillable tanks.
• Fourth generation devices (‘pods’) are significantly smaller, and can look similar to a USB stick.^{7, 8}

Non-theraputic (illegal) vapes in Australia are often:

• disposable – meaning they can’t be re-charged or re-used
• come in a variety of flavours, such as mint, fruit and sweets
• often have high concentrations of nicotine - even if they don’t say so on the packet/device.^{7, 8}

What is a ‘therapeutic’ vape?

You may have heard Australia has banned ‘non-therapeutic’ vapes but allowed ‘therapeutic’ vapes. So, what does this mean? 

• Therapeutic vape (legal): an e-cigarette/vape used by someone quitting smoking, or managing a nicotine dependence (addiction). They can only be purchased at pharmacies, and must meet certain requirements set by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), including limits on flavours and nicotine strength.^{2, 3}
• Non-therapeutic vape (illegal): an e-cigarette/vape that doesn’t meet TGA requirements. This includes vapes with or without nicotine, all disposable vapes, and any vapes not sold at pharmacies.²

Rules around access to therapeutic vapes vary by state and territory, visit our page on vaping regulation to find out more.

How many young people vape?

There’s been concern in recent years about a rise in youth vaping, with the 2022-23 national Australian schools survey reporting:

• 30% of secondary students had tried vaping at least once
• 12.9% of 12-15-year-olds had vaped in the last month
• 22.1% of 16-17-year-olds had vaped in the last month.⁸

But, according to more recent data, teen vaping may be decreasing – with a national 2024 survey of 14-17-year-olds finding:

• The proportion of teens who have never vaped increased - and was higher in 2024 than in 2023 and 2022, when the survey started.
• The number of teens reporting any level of vaping, and the proportion who reported frequently vaping (on more than 100 occasions) also significantly decreased between 2022 and 2024.
• More teens agreed vapes were unsafe to use in the latest 2024 data compared to previous surveys.⁹

Vaping is highest among young adults in Australia, with the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) reporting that among 18-24-year-olds:

• vaping in the past year increased significantly from 5.3% in 2019, to 21% in 2022-23 
• almost 1 in 10 (9.3%) reported vaping daily in 2022-23.¹

In comparison, only 1.6% of people aged 60–69 reported using a vape in the past year in 2022-23.¹

What are the impacts of vaping?

We know that vaping can increase the risk of certain health harms.

Injuries and burns

Vapes have caused injuries and burns, often due to a faulty battery or the device exploding. Most burns and injuries have been to the leg, from a vape in someone’s pocket, as well as to the mouth/face and hands, when vapes have exploded mid-use.^{7, 10}

Lung disease and harms

Vaping has led to lung injury and disease  – known as EVALI (‘e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury’).⁴ Most cases of EVALI have been linked to THC vapes which contain vitamin E acetate (an oily chemical), and some cases have been reported from nicotine vapes.^4,7,11,12

Vaping isn’t linked with risk of other severe respiratory outcomes, but it may be associated with mild coughing/wheezing.¹³ And young people who vape may have a higher risk of developing asthma, or worsening asthma symptoms.¹⁰

Tobacco smoking

Young people who vape are around three times more likely to try cigarettes, or start smoking. But more research is needed, and there isn’t conclusive evidence on whether vaping causes smoking.^7,14,15

Dependence

Nicotine is addictive. Over time, repeated use causes changes in how our brains release dopamine, which can affect things like mood, stress and attention. Tolerance also builds – meaning someone may need more nicotine to have the same effect.¹⁶

When someone dependent on nicotine stops using it they can experience withdrawal symptoms, including:

• irritability
• cravings
• difficulty concentrating
• sleep problems
• feeling anxious, sad or depressed.¹⁶

Other impacts

• Vaping can cause nicotine toxicity - leading to symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and shortness of breath.⁷
• Exposure to vape e-liquids containing nicotine, mostly by accidental ingestion (through swallowing e-liquids or exposure to skin), has led to toxicity, and in more extreme cases poisonings - which can result in seizures and death.⁷

More research on vaping effects is needed

Further research is needed for us to better understand the potential long and short-term effects of vaping, including on: 

• Seizure risk: There’s evidence that vaping can lead to seizures, but we’re not sure yet exactly how and why this occurs.⁷
• Brain development: Research based on animal studies shows nicotine may negatively affect brain development, impacting things like learning and attention.¹⁷ But there isn’t evidence yet on how vaping might affect teenage development.^{10, 18}
• Mental health: Using e-cigarettes is associated with greater mental ill health among young people.¹⁹ We don’t fully understand yet why this is, and there isn’t conclusive evidence on whether vapes cause mental health issues.^7,10,19
• Heart health: Nicotine immediately increases heart rate and blood pressure, but there’s a lack of evidence supporting a link between vaping and cardiovascular diseases.²⁰
• Cancer: Vaping isn’t associated with a significant cancer risk among those who don’t smoke - but evidence is limited, and further long-term research is needed.²¹
• Gum health: Current evidence hasn’t found a link between vaping and gum disease or poor gum health, but further research is needed.²²