By Maeve Bannister in Canberra

A CRACKDOWN on vapes could take longer than the federal government anticipated as it seeks to work with state and territory leaders to close multiple legal loopholes.

Health Minister Mark Butler insists the planned health campaign to address teenage vaping, announced as part of the May budget, has not been delayed.

Rather he’s working with his state and territory counterparts to ensure a uniform approach to the issue.

But Mr Butler said there was not yet a timeframe for the crackdown to start.

Health ministers sought advice about whether the issue could be addressed through a single piece of Commonwealth legislation or would require all state and territory parliaments to legislate it, which would be a more complex and lengthy task.

A national working group is expected to provide advice to health ministers on the issue at a meeting this Wednesday.

“This is becoming a very serious public health crisis,” Mr Butler told ABC Radio on Monday.

“We’re determined to get the response right, but it is going to be difficult.”

Mr Butler anticipated a “furious response” from the industry as there had been when governments sought to regulate nicotine and tobacco.

“This is also pretty new, and there aren’t countries around the world that have taken as determined a response to vaping as I announced three months ago,” he said.

“So a bit like plain packaging 10 years ago, we’re really out there at the vanguard trying to take on this new public health menace.”

The Lung Foundation says vaping is unsafe and potentially dangerous.