A man has suffered third-degree burns after his vape burst in his pocket.
9News reported that a man is currently being treated for injuries that could take years to recover after an e-cigarette in his right pocket caught fire.
"The vape equipment basically exploded and he sustained the burns to seven per cent total body, surface area of his body," AMA President Dr Mark Duncan-Smith, as per the outlet.
"He required operations, he required two weeks in hospital and he described it certainly as an experience he would not recommend to any other.
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"Vaping is being specifically targeted towards our children and they need to be protected by us as a society and by a government by ensuring that the maximum fines are applied to people that sell these illegally."
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, issued a warning to vape users while speaking to The West Australian.
“Although the burns team were fantastic, burns is a horrific and terrifying experience,” he said.
“To all the kids out there, look at what happened to me; respect yourself, respect your life.
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“100 per cent don’t start vaping in the first place — it was the worst thing I ever did.”
The incident comes after the federal government introduced new policies to crack down on the black market of vaping.
The country's biggest reforms, introduced in the May budget, aim to stop a new generation of nicotine addicts.
The new policies will target packaging, importation, availability and contents.
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The government said they would roll out a AUD $234 million (USD $155m) package to fund the new measures.
Under the current laws, you need a prescription to purchase a vape with nicotine over the counter.
That hasn't stopped hundreds of thousands of young people who are still buying them in convenience stores nationwide.
Health Minister Mark Butler said the changes will include stopping the import of non-prescription vapes, restricting flavours, colours, and other ingredients, plain packaging, reducing nicotine concentration and banning all single-use, disposable vapes.
“The former government allowed this black market to flourish for too long and as a result, vaping has become a menace in our schools and society,” Mr Butler said.
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He added: “Vapers are three times as likely to take up smoking, which explains why under 25s are the only cohort in the community currently recording an increase in smoking rates."
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, e-cigarette use by Australians aged 14 or older has more than doubled from 2016 to 2019.
Charisa Bossinakis