Have you heard of the JUUL pod-based vaping device? You certainly have – it’s one of the best-known vaping devices in the world, and it’s helped many millions of smokers around the world make the switch from smoking to vaping since its release in 2015.
As popular as the JUUL system is, though, there’s just one problem: You can’t find it on the shelves in any vape shop in Australia. That’s because novel nicotine products – basically anything other than traditional tobacco products and medically approved nicotine replacement therapies – are controlled substances here and aren’t available to purchase from traditional retailers.
Before you allow yourself to become overly disappointed, though, here’s some good news: You can actually buy JUULpods in Australia – you just have to jump through a few hoops first. It’s not as bad as it sounds, though, and we’ll explain the process in this article. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, however, let’s discuss the topic at a slightly more basic level.
To comply with Australia’s regulations for buying vaping products with nicotine, you’ll need to get a prescription from a doctor. The prescription will need to state the product and nicotine strength that you intend to buy. Before you begin, you need to decide whether JUUL is actually the vaping device that you want to use. That’s where we’ll start.
These are the four things you must do before buying JUULpods in Australia.
Decide Whether JUUL is the Right Vape for You
Before you start the process of buying JUULpods in Australia, you need to decide whether JUUL is actually the vaping device that you want to use. JUUL has been on the market since 2015, and the technology underpinning the device has changed little during that time. With that being said, technology may change, but nicotine is as old as time – and there are still millions of people who don’t want their nicotine to be delivered by anything other than a JUUL. So, what’s the right choice for you? Here’s how JUUL compares to the two other most popular types of vapes: disposable vapes and refillable pod systems.
JUUL vs. Disposable Vapes
As of 2023, disposable vapes are the most popular vaping products in the world. They’re incredibly convenient because you don’t need to charge or fill them before using them – a disposable vape is ready to go immediately when you remove it from the package. JUUL isn’t ready to go out of the package because it needs to be charged first.
On the other hand, you may find that it costs less to use JUUL than it does to use disposable vapes. Every time you buy a disposable vape, you’re buying a complete vaping device with a battery – and those components aren’t cheap. With JUUL, you only need to buy the device once.
JUUL vs. Refillable Pod Systems
Before you buy JUUL in Australia, a refillable pod system is the other type of vaping device that you might want to consider. When you use a refillable vaping device, you buy your e-liquid in larger bottles rather than in small pre-filled pods. That’ll reduce your costs significantly, and it’ll also give you access to a wider variety of flavours. On the other hand, filling your own pods isn’t nearly as convenient as buying pods in pre-filled form.
Determine What Nicotine Strength You Need
If you’ve decided that JUUL is the right vaping device for you, the next thing you’ll need to determine is the nicotine strength that you want to use. The nicotine strengths that JUULpods are available in vary by region. One of the benefits of buying JUULpods in Australia, though, is that you can import the pods from wherever you like. Good online sellers such as Premium Vape in New Zealand have already done the work for you and offer JUULpods from various regions around the world, enabling you to find every flavour and nicotine strength in one place.
The JUULpod nicotine strengths that are available include:
- 5%: Provides a strong throat hit and cigarette-like nicotine delivery. This is usually the best starting nicotine strength for pack-a-day smokers.
- 3%: Provides fairly high nicotine delivery with a much smoother throat hit. The 3% strength might be a good choice for you if you smoke low-yield or “light” cigarettes or experience throat irritation when using the higher 5% strength.
- 1.6%: Provides lower nicotine delivery with a very light throat hit. The 1.6% strength might be a good choice for you if you smoke less than half a pack of cigarettes per day or only smoke on weekends.
Choose Between the Original JUUL and JUUL 2
The final thing that you’ll need to do before buying your first JUUL starter kit is decide whether you want to use the original JUUL device or the newer JUUL 2. The two devices use different pods, and they aren’t compatible with one another. Here are some of the key differences between them.
- The original JUUL was released in 2015. It’s much older, but it has also been thoroughly tested and refined over the years. It’s a stable, reliable platform with an established ecosystem of products. In addition to the large selection of first-party pods, you can also buy third-party pre-filled and refillable pods for the original JUUL, potentially saving a significant amount of money in the process.
- The JUUL 2 was released in 2022. One of its primary features is automatic pod authentication, which prevents the use of third-party pods but also helps to deter the distribution of counterfeit products. The JUUL 2 is only made for the UK/EU market, so there’s a smaller selection of first-party pods compared to the original JUUL. In addition, the only nicotine strength available is 1.6%. However, the JUUL 2 has higher-capacity pods – along with enhanced airflow and vapour production – to ensure that the nicotine delivery will be adequate for smokers even with the lower nicotine strength.
Obtain a Prescription for JUULpods and Place Your Order
Because nicotine is a controlled substance in Australia, the only vaping products sold over the counter here are ones that contain no nicotine. However, thanks to the Therapeutic Goods Administration Personal Importation Scheme linked to earlier in this article, you can still buy vaping products such as JUULpods in Australia if you obtain a doctor’s prescription and import the products from an overseas seller. Once you’ve done that, you can simply provide a copy of your prescription to the seller and place your order.
Your nicotine prescription needs to state the product that you intend to order along with the nicotine strength and quantity of the product. There may be some Australian doctors who aren’t yet familiar with this process. Although the law has always required you to obtain a prescription before importing nicotine, the Therapeutic Goods Administration began enforcing this regulation more strictly in 2021. The Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association has information that can help your doctor through the process. In addition, the ATHRA also has a list of doctors who already know how to write nicotine prescriptions and may be more familiar with the process than your usual practitioner.
