Anti-tobacco groups are divided over new regulations restricting the sale of e-cigarettes in South Australia which have been described as "draconian".

SA is the last state in the country to introduce regulations around the sale and use of e-cigarettes and is the first to ban their sale online or by mail.

Key points: E-cigarettes are devices that heat a cartridge of liquid nicotine into a vapor

E-cigarettes are devices that heat a cartridge of liquid nicotine into a vapor It is widely agreed they are likely to be less harmful than smoking cigarettes and are often used as an aid to quit smoking

It is widely agreed they are likely to be less harmful than smoking cigarettes and are often used as an aid to quit smoking The new laws ban the use of e-cigarettes in smoke-free areas, ban the retail sale of e-cigarettes without a license, and make e-cigarette advertising illegal

The Tobacco Products Regulation (E-Cigarettes and Review) Amendment Bill was passed by State Parliament in mid-November, also banning the sale of e-cigarette products to children.

The Cancer Council of SA has welcomed the move saying more needs to be understood about the products' possible health risks.

"One of the biggest problems with these products is the lack of evidence," Alana Sparrow said from the Cancer Council.

"We really need to be clear about the long-term harms that can come from the use of electronic cigarettes.

"There is some evidence of young people using them as a gateway to traditional cigarettes.

"If the tobacco companies were to put these products up before the Therapeutic Goods Administration and they were actually proven to be safe and effective in helping people to quit smoking, then that puts us in a different position."

As well as restricting sales, the new laws will ban the use of e-cigarettes in smoke-free areas, ban the retail sale of e-cigarettes without a license, and make e-cigarette advertising, promotion, specials and price promotions illegal.

In-store vaping and taste-testing will also be ruled out.

The amendments are due to be finalised in December.

Claims SA laws could 'destroy' industry

The Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association (ATHRA), however, said the regulations had gone too far.

Chairman Colin Mendelsohn claimed South Australia's laws were now the harshest in the country and would protect the tobacco industry from competition.

"This will destroy the local vaping industry," Associate Professor Mendelsohn said.

"That's a problem for public health because vaping shops play an important role in helping people make that transition [away from tobacco].

"People get advice and information about using the product safely and ongoing support, and if those vaping shops aren't going to be available — which is likely because a lot of their business is online — we're really making it harder for smokers to access safer alternatives to smoking."

The Cancer Council of SA says more needs to be understood about the products' possible health risks. ( ABC South East SA: Lucy Robinson )

Associate Professor Mendelsohn said there was evidence to support vaping as a way to reduce smoking rates.

"Vaping has helped millions of people quit smoking overseas and there have been very large population studies that show that people who use vaping devices are much more likely to quit than people who don't," he said.

"Young people will of course be attracted to something new and interesting but the research internationally is quite clear that there is no evidence that vaping actually leads young people, who otherwise wouldn't have smoked, to become smokers."

ATHRA states on its website that it accepts donations from the vaping industry, with two vaping businesses providing funding for its initial establishment.

Rural customers will go back to tobacco

Vape store owner Narissa Hansen said the ban on online and postal sales would have the biggest impact on rural customers.

Ms Hansen and her husband Daniel set up their shop in Mount Gambier six months ago, turning to vaping themselves after 15 years of smoking tobacco.

"We have a young child … so it [quitting] was more [about] trying to be conscious of our health and looking for a safer alternative to smoking," she said.

"The beauty of vaping is that it does mimic the illusion of smoking so you feel like you're getting that same effect."

Narissa Hansen, who owns a vape store in Mount Gambier, believes the new restrictions on e-cigarette sales have the potential to push rural customers back to tobacco. ( ABC South East SA: Lucy Robinson )

Ms Hansen said regional stores often serviced customers based hundreds of kilometres away who were not in a position to make regular trips into town.

"The closest vape shops [to Mount Gambier] are Adelaide and Melbourne," she said.

"We've got a 450km radius of people that are living rurally that are not going to have access to these products.

"With these new regulations, we won't actually be able to take orders via the phone or even webpages … which is essentially going to push these people back to tobacco.

"It's going to take away their ability to purchase these products and get them shipped to them in remote areas."

Ms Hansen said she was less concerned about other aspects of the bill, such as banning e-cigarettes from smoke-free areas and restricting advertising.

"If you don't smoke in an area, you're generally not going to vape there," she said.

"That part of it should really not affect anyone.

"A lot of vape shops don't advertise. We might have social media platforms [so] all that will cease but it's more word-of-mouth in regards to advertising."

New e-cigarette regulations will restrict vape store owners like Narissa Hansen from taking online and postal orders for vaping products. ( ABC South East SA: Lucy Robinson )

Health Minister 'doesn't buy' argument

SA Health Minister Stephen Wade said he did not believe the new laws would make it harder for existing smokers to quit tobacco products.

"I don't buy the argument," he said.

"There are real concerns about the unknown impact of taking in vapour into your body.

"The fact of the matter is that tobacco products are regulated currently in a very similar way to what we're proposing with e-cigarettes."

Mr Wade said he was acting on public health advice that vaping products should be treated the same as tobacco.

"It's a strong consensus of the public health bodies in Australia that we need to treat e-cigarettes … as unhealthy products," he said.

"That's what we're doing."