As nicotine vaping continues to enter the healthcare conversation in Australia, many pharmacists are facing an important shift — one that positions them not just as medicine dispensers, but as front-line supporters in the fight against tobacco dependence.
Drawing insights from Vapelabs’ recent article, “Vaping & Practice: Top 3 Questions Pharmacists Ask” (May 10, 2025), it’s clear that the conversation around vaping is moving beyond controversy and into clinical care. In fact, as Vapelabs Head Pharmacist Joel Riley shares, pharmacists are increasingly embracing vaping therapy — not as a retail trend, but as a therapeutic intervention.
Reframing the Role of Vaping in Pharmacy
According to Vapelabs, pharmacists nationwide are adjusting to a new reality: many patients are turning to their local chemists not just for prescriptions, but for guidance on nicotine vaping to quit smoking. With smoking still, the leading cause of preventable death in Australia, exploring every viable quit strategy — including vaping under professional supervision — has become more urgent than ever.
As Joel Riley notes in the article, “There’s awareness that smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death... and that vaping, when used appropriately, has a role in helping patients reduce tobacco dependence.”
This sentiment is increasingly shared across the profession.
