On Wednesday, ACT Health released 242 submissions to a discussion paper on potential reform with the vast majority of submissions made by personal users.

Health lobby groups and retail associations have called for a regulated sale and promotion of the products to mitigate any potential harms of underage use.

Russell Zimmerman, executive director of the Australian Retailers Association, called on the government to provide clarity and protect the community from any potential harms.

"The ARA believes these products will continue to be sold if they aren't formally approved and regulated, creating a black market and leaving no controls such as restrictions on sales to minors," he said.

"The ARA believes it is in the best interests of the ACT community to have these products legalised and formally regulated, allowing the legitimate sale through current retail channels which will also replace tobacco products."

Mr Zimmerman said grocery, newsagent and convenience stores were already selling the products in the ACT due to a lack of knowledge around legalities.

"It would be appropriate for the ACT Government to rectify this problem," he said.

Jeff Rogut, executive director of the Australasian Association of Convenience Stores Limited, said strict regulations "would ensure that legitimate retailers are able to sell quality products".

"Minors should not be allowed to purchase the products however in the 'real world' youth smoking does happen so personal vaporisers could offer a solution to younger people who obtain tobacco illegally from continuing to smoke tobacco," he said.

But Mr Rogut did not support a ban of e-cigarettes as "this could remove any incentive for users of personal vaporisers to switch from tobacco".

Jos de Bruin, chief executive of Master Grocers Australia and Liquor Retailers Australia, said "rigorous scrutiny" was needed to ensure e-cigarettes were safe for consumers.

"There is a need for extensive research to be conducted, particularly into the use of nicotine based personal vaporisers and controls implemented before they become legally available in the ACT," he said.

Many personal submissions opposed the ban or restricted sale and promotion of the products.

"It is a fantastic alternative to cigarettes and with nicotine not being easily available people who aren't currently addicted won't develop an addiction," said Kim Finglas-Watson.

"Vaping stopped me and my girlfriend from smoking yet we are still treated like smokers and we can't even buy the nicotine here yet cigarettes are legal," said David Ferguson.

But not everyone was convinced. The Heart Foundation ACT called for non-nicotine e-cigarettes to be banned unless their sale was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

"We have made great achievements to drive down the rates of smokers both in Canberra and nationally and we certainly don't want to risk undoing all our inroads with products that mimic smoking," said chief executive Tony Stubbs.

"The jury is still out on whether these products have a role to play in helping people give up smoking and until such time as they have approval by the TGA, we think it's in the interest of public health that their sale and use be restricted."