This appeared earlier today:
Vendors on food delivery app HungryPanda selling vapes
Paul Karp NSW political correspondent
Jun 1, 2025 – 12.53pm
Vendors on popular food delivery app HungryPanda appear to be selling vapes, with the illegal sale of nicotine products easily discoverable by changing the user language to Mandarin.
While the Albanese government has boasted that new penalties for supply of vapes has sent the price soaring and consumption down, illegal vapes are still readily available online.
Under the new laws that applied from October 2024, therapeutic vapes can only be legally sold at pharmacies to adults for smoking cessation or the management of nicotine dependence.
A tip independently confirmed by The Australian Financial Review shows that vapes are being sold by vendors listed on the HungryPanda app, which expanded to 3.5 million Australian customers, 60,000 merchants and about 40,000 drivers/riders after the purchase of Melbourne-based app Easi.
In one example sighted on the app, a GFel vape with 6000 puffs retailed for $36 – less than the $50 to $60 now typical in retail settings.
The Financial Review is not suggesting that HungryPanda condones the sale of vapes or other illegal products on the app. Some vendors displayed a QR code to open a WeChat conversation, allowing buyers to contact sellers on a separate app.
Rohan Pike, a consultant and former Australian Federal Police officer who created and led the Australian Border Force’s tobacco strike force, said it was clear that vapes were “readily available” in online apps and forums, including HungryPanda and WeChat.
“It raises a number of concerns about the fact that criminals are anticipating enforcement and changing their methodology to suit,” he said.
“Legislation has been enhanced, but the focus has been on the retail environment of high street stores. This is an embarrassment to law enforcement, because it is still so easy to get product to market,” Pike said.
“This would seem to be an escalation from opportunism to sale online, a more organised criminal behaviour. The move online should have been anticipated.”
“For children it would be just as easy to buy a vape as to get sweet and sour pork on HungryPanda.”
Since new laws that applied from July 2024, authorities have seized 8 million illegal vapes at the border. The federal government claims the crackdown is working, citing new data in the Cancer Council’s vape report finding the rate of vaping among 18- to 24-year-olds has halved to 18 per cent from 2023 to the latest quarter.
A spokesman for the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) said it was unlawful to advertise vaping goods to the public, and is punishable by penalties of up to seven years’ jail for a criminal penalty or up to $23.10 million for a civil penalty.
“The TGA is aware of vaping goods being illegally promoted for sale through different online forums and works closely with online platforms to deter and address alleged unlawful advertising,” the spokesman said.
“We also use powers under the Telecommunications Act that require internet service providers to block access to certain websites, including those that illegally advertise and supply vaping goods, if they are in breach of the act.”
From January 2024 to May 2025, the TGA has requested the removal of more than 8400 unlawful ads for vaping goods from digital platforms.
“We do not comment on individual matters including whether they may be subject to investigation or compliance and enforcement activity, or the status of any investigation.”
A spokeswoman for NSW Health said it “is concerned about the harmful health effects associated with vapes and reminds the community of the dangers associated with vaping”.
With the exception of pharmacies “the sale of all vaping goods with or without nicotine is illegal” in NSW, the spokeswoman said.
“This also includes online sales. Retailers can be penalised under both commonwealth and state legislation.”
The Financial Review contacted HungryPanda for comment.
Here is the link:
Interesting to see how creative both the sellers and users of vapes are to get hold of their fix. Honestly we all know there is really no chance of putting in place an effective ban so sensible control measures are what is needed IMVHO.
If people do not want to stop using nicotine there is zilch you can do!. Not many stop really willingly despite all the warnings!
Having given up smoking some 50 years ago now, I can still remember just how powerful the addiction was and how bloody hard it was to stop! (Took me 5-6 attempts at least before beating it! – they won’t let you smoke in operating theatres where I worked so there was little choice in the end!)
Sadly smoking is highly addictive and not all that harmful short term – so the incentive to stop is hard to reach once you are addicted – which takes but a few days of use!!!
People I respect tell me the addiction is as powerful as heroin and I can believe it!
Best plan is to never start – if you are smart enough to do just that!
Oddly I have had all sorts of narcotics (morphine, pethidine, oxycodone et least) for operations etc. and have never found them enjoyable in the least. I wonder why?
Nicotine, on the other hand, I did enjoy, a lot. and it took a while to get off it!
We are all different I guess!
David.
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