Pressure is mounting on the government to relax restrictions on e-cigarettes as three members of a parliamentary committee break ranks and call for the devices to be legalised.

Smokers who want to switch to vaping to kick their habit currently need a prescription for nicotine vape liquid.

The committee has decided against changing the law but three government MPs have gone rogue and disagreed with the stance.

Federal MP Trent Zimmerman is one of them, telling Ben Fordham there needs to be a change.

“I think that e-cigarettes can help us save lives.  We know there are many people that really struggle to quit smoking and we also know e-cigarettes are safer,” he says.

“We need to keep the pressure on the health authorities here to basically be looking at what’s happening overseas and not having their heads in the sand about what I think’s an important opportunity  for public health.”

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Push to legalise e-cigarettes intensifies