We have Australian regulations that guide all aspects of therapeutic vaping goods; from product standards and importation to pharmacy dispensing. One of these guidelines is a one month's supply limit of therapeutic vaping substance (liquid) which happens to be one of the most common enquiries we receive. This blog post aims to provide everything you need to know about the monthly supply limit guideline and what it means for you, when using therapeutic vaping goods for smoking cessation or nicotine dependence management, under the guidance of our pharmacist. We set it up like a list of frequently asked questions, so you can quickly navigate to the information you're looking for. Contents Can I order more/less than my monthly limit? Can my monthly liquid limit change? Can my monthly supply limit include my family? Do all pharmacies have the same rules? How does a monthly liquid supply affect me? How is monthly supply monitored? How is my monthly supply determined? What if I forget my monthly limit? What does 'monthly supply limit' mean? What products have a monthly supply limit? When do I need a pharmacist phone consult? What does 'monthly supply limit' mean? Our pharmacists can only dispense one month's supply of therapeutic vaping liquid, per person, per month (or less more frequently). This was enforced in October 2024 after the introduction of vaping regulation reforms in Australia. Back to Contents How does a monthly liquid supply affect me? It refers to the maximum amount of therapeutic vaping liquid reasonably required to meet your therapeutic needs per month. Australian pharmacy guidelines recommend a monthly limit of 120mL per month. Your heathcare professional (doctor, nurse or pharmacist) can recommend more or less than this limit, depending on your therapeutic needs. Back to Contents How is monthly supply monitored? All pharmacies must submit certain information to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) every time a pharmacist dispenses therapeutic vaping liquid. This information includes: your initials your date of birth the quantity of vaping liquid supplied (e.g. 120mL) the nicotine concentration of the vaping liquid supplied (e.g. 10mg/mL). Your vaping liquid purchases are also recorded in a pharmacy's secure dispensing software, as it is pharmacist's responsibility to ensure supply meets regulations and the patient's therapeutic needs. See 'How is my monthly supply determined?' for more information. Back to Contents Do all pharmacies have the same rules? Yes, all pharmacies must comply with the Australian vaping regulations regarding the one month supply limit of therapeutic vaping substances. However, the way in which a pharmacy consults with you to determine your therapeutic needs may differ. Back to Contents What products have a monthly supply limit? The monthly supply limit applies to therapeutic vaping liquid that is both sold in bottles and pre-filled pods/cartridges. Back to Contents How is my monthly supply determined? Your monthly limit is tailored to your specific therapeutic needs. You and one of our friendly pharmacists will discuss your therapeutic needs during your initial phone consultation which occurs directly after your first purchase of therapeutic vaping liquid through our website. The pharmacist will work with you to determine a monthly supply limit, set to a maximum number of milliliters (e.g. 120mL) you can order per month. It will be in accordance with your smoking cessation or nicotine dependence management plan that you also establish with our pharmacist during your first consultation. The pharmacist may also refer you to a healthcare provider before supply. Your monthly limit may be determined by your healthcare provider, if you have a prescription for therapeutic vaping liquid. Back to Contents What if I forget my monthly limit? Not a problem! Your Pharmacy World Australia (PWA) website account features handy reminders in your shopping cart. When you add therapeutic vaping liquid to cart, it will let you know your monthly supply limit and whether your cart contents is below, matches or exceeds it. Back to Contents Can my monthly liquid limit change? Yes. It is not set in stone because your therapeutic needs may change. For example, your smoking cessation plan may include tapering use which will decrease your monthly usage. There are a couple of ways a change to the monthly liquid supply limit can be arranged, depending on whether you access therapeutic vaping liquid under the care of our pharmacist or your prescribing healthcare professional. Under pharmacist's care Contact us to discuss the reason you may require a change to your monthly supply limit with a pharmacist. Place an order and provide a reason.Include an explanation of why your order contains less or more than your monthly supply in the 'Are you exceeding the recommended therapeutic vaping liquid monthly supply?' section of the checkout form. Our pharmacist may contact you to discuss further. In either situation, our pharmacist may refer you to a healthcare professional for further guidance. Under healthcare professional's (doctor/nurse) guidance Contact your healthcare professional to discuss the change to your monthly supply limit and obtain a new prescription. Contact us to provide new prescription. Back to Contents Can I order more/less than my monthly limit? Yes but there must be a reason and our pharmacist may contact you by phone for further discussion. Our pharmacist may consider temporarily dispensing a little more than the monthly supply in some situations, such as, if you're going overseas for a period of time. However, you can not order more therapeutic vaping liquid to avoid monthly postage costs. We know this can be inconvenient but we must comply with the Australian pharmacy guidelines. See 'Can my monthly limit change? for more information. Back to Contents Can my monthly supply limit include my family? We can only dispense therapeutic vaping goods to individual patients under our care. Your family member of friend will need to register on our website and become our patient in order for our pharmacist to assess their therapeutic needs before dispensing vaping goods. Back to Contents When do I need a pharmacist phone consult? A phone consultation with our pharmacist is mandatory in following circumstances: It is your first order from our pharmacy which includes therapeutic vaping liquid. You are due for a review of your smoking cessation or nicotine dependence management plan. The pharmacist needs to discuss your recent order (e.g. if the vaping liquid exceeds your monthly supply). The pharmacist may need to contact you over the phone for the above or other reasons after you place any order of vaping goods through our website. If so, your order cannot be dispensed until you speak to our pharmacist. You can also have a chat to our pharmacist before registering on our website for advice on smoking cessation or nicotine dependence management. Simply contact us to organise a suitable time. Back to Contents
