This afternoon I spoke to a pharmacist in a leading well known pharmacy chain store. I asked her if she is ready for all the prescription vapes from Monday and ready to handle the further onslaught of vaping purchases without a prescription from October 1. She literally had no idea this is what is planned. She explained immediately that it won’t be happening at all in her store, followed with, can’t vapers just get their vapes from vape shops and tobacco shops? She had no idea that vapes being sold in tobacco shops with nicotine were illegal and I am sure she is not alone. She went on further to explain that she is only trained in TGA approved NRT like gums, patches, sprays etc. “That’s all we are trained in at university when becoming a pharmacist! We never got educated about vaping, we really should be trained about it more but we’re not!” She also explained that she knows a lot about vaping through friends who vape and understands that she would have to hold a huge range and said, “I’m just not trained for that and nor are any other pharmacists I know!” I asked her if she was sent any advice from the government to explain the changes and she said, “definitely not, this is the first I’ve heard of it! Now I have to research this tonight.” She said, “Regardless of what a health minister says, I’m not doing it, I’m not going to be told what I can sell when it comes to NRT, & although vapes are NRT it will cost too much and there is too much involved.”