The Nationals have come under fire from health experts for proposing a relaxation of laws surrounding vaping in response to rising youth rates.
The proposed change would allow retailers to sell the products to adults over the age of 18, but limit the sale of attractive packaging that could be marketed to children.
The sale of nicotine vaping products to children is already banned in Australia, with access to them requiring a prescription.
However, some manufacturers label their products as "nicotine-free" even when they are not.
Health Minister Mark Butler has suggested tightening border controls to stop vaping imports and address youth vaping.
According to The Guardian, the Nationals' proposed reforms seek to "normalise vapes," with the Australian Medical Association President, Steve Robson, calling the policy "a shocker.
" Meanwhile, health experts have criticised the proposal for being aligned with big tobacco companies.
On the other hand, Nationals Leader David Littleproud believes that regulations need to be put in place to protect children who are the victims of this issue.
Butler has stated that former Health Minister Greg Hunt's attempts to tighten vaping imports were not successful, highlighting the pro-vaping members of Hunt's caucus as a likely reason.
The Health Minister argues that border controls are essential in the fight against youth vaping.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will release 4,000 submissions to its vaping reforms inquiry on Thursday.
In summary, the issue of vaping regulations and restrictions continues to intensify with the Nationals' proposal garnering criticism for potentially normalising vapes, while others support the regulations to protect children against youth vaping.
Additionally, the Health Minister is calling for tighter border controls to inhibit the importing of vapes.
The TGA's inquiry into vaping reforms will be released on Thursday.