Electronic cigarettes heat a liquid to produce a vapour that people inhale, with some liquids including nicotine. Photo: AFP/ Hans Lucas
Dairy owners have told MPs new vape laws being proposed to prevent youth vaping could put the safety of retail workers at risk.
The legislation - currently before Select Committee - would impose visibility restrictions on retailers outside specialist vape retailers, including dairies and petrol stations.
It also includes a complete ban on disposable vapes, significant increases in fines for sales to under-18-year-olds and proximity restrictions relating to early childhood education centres.
Dairy and Business Owners's Group vice chair Ash Parmar yesterday told MPs the changes would make vapes harder to see in dairies - and also harder to steal.
He said there had been a "rapid increase" in aggravated robberies where young people used machetes and hammers as weapons and making vapes harder to access could increase violence.
"We don't want a robbery to happen but if these products are going to be hidden under the counter like tobacco is, it does directly relate to the viciousness of the crimes that are happening; the beatings and the hitting with the hammers on the head.
"So hiding them will potentially bring a risk to the retailer....if it was just there and they could just take it that particular retail worker could potentially could be safe."
Parmar said the government hadn't learnt from it's approach to "smokes", which he described as "worth more than silver".
"Locking away vapes in general trade means we'll face young and increasingly violent criminals going for the vapes and smokes with equal gusto. We end up hurt, or much worse.
"This Bill will also force thousands of dairies to apply to become specialist vape retailers. We don't want that. The vast majority of dairies don't want that, but that's the outcome from banning the display of mint, menthol and tobacco vapes."
The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2) is currently before the Health Select Committee that's due to report back in March next year.