Experts are divided on whether proposed new vaping reforms will stamp out an increase in its use among young Australians, or encourage an onset of smoking.
Health Minister Mark Butler announced a massive crackdown on vaping this week, including banning popular single-use disposable vapes and banning the importation of over-the-counter vaping products into Australia.
Adults can only purchase vapes from pharmacies with a prescription rather than stores, and vapes are only sold in plain packaging and flavors.
Health Minister Mark Butler announced a sweeping crackdown on vaping this week, including banning popular disposable single-use vapes and banning the importation of over-the-counter vaping into Australia
Mr Butler described vaping as the ‘biggest loophole in Australian history’ and the ‘No. 1 behavioral problem in secondary schools’.
“I’m just not prepared as the health minister to normalize this product,” he said.
The move has been welcomed by health organizations such as the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), the Alcohol and Drug Foundation and the Public Health Association of Australia.
However, not everyone is convinced that the reforms will do what the government hopes.
Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association president Joe Kosterich said the reforms would block a path for smokers to quit, without preventing children from getting their hands on addictive nicotine products..
“While some of these health organizations are patting each other on the back, people actually trying to quit smoking or people who have successfully quit smoking by vaping will suffer,” he said.
“It’s already illegal for teens to vape, you can’t make it any more illegal than it is now, and if they’re going to get them on the black market, the black market is going to get even stronger because of these moves.”
Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association president Joe Kosterich said the reforms would block a path for smokers to quit, without preventing children from getting their hands on addictive nicotine products.
Dr. Kosterich urged the government to reconsider their prescription-based approach and take the same stance as New Zealand, which supports smokers to switch to vaping while discouraging those who do not use tobacco products from taking them to use.
However, Dr Kosterich’s arguments have been questioned by other experts who say the measures will help halt an increase in young people taking up vaping.
While vapes were introduced as a tool to help adults quit smoking, they have become a means of getting young people addicted to tobacco products, said Courtney Barnes, a research fellow from the University of Newcastle.
“While the long-term health effects of vaping are still emerging, research shows that vaping can lead to acute lung injury, poisoning, burns and inhalation toxicity,” she said.
“Particularly among young people, the risk to brain development from consuming nicotine, a common component of these devices, is of particular concern.”
Dr. Barnes argues that teens have easy access to illegal vapes through convenience stores, which is why they should only be sold in pharmacies.
The decision to make vapes available only in pharmaceutical settings doesn’t make sense, according to Dr. Kosterich, because vapes are becoming more difficult to obtain than regular cigarettes, which are more harmful.
He cited a 2016 report from the Royal College of Practitioners which found that the danger to human health from vapor inhalation was only 5 percent of the danger caused by smoking tobacco.
“You don’t need a doctor’s appointment to buy cigarettes. Why do you need a doctor’s appointment to get a 95 percent less harmful option?” he said.
Newcastle University researcher Courtney Barnes says teens have easy access to illicit vapes through convenience stores, so they should only be sold in pharmacies
While vaping is important in supporting smokers trying to quit, RMIT University chemistry professor Oliver Jones says it’s important to note that it’s “not only a safe alternative to traditional cigarettes, even though vaping is often seen them that way’. .
He argues that vaping products, including those that claim to be nicotine-free, often contain other ingredients.
“Vapes on the market have also been found to contain all sorts of other potentially harmful chemicals that were not listed on the label,” he said.
He argues that some people may be driven back to traditional cigarettes; however, the new government policy is a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done.
“I think there is strong evidence that the current approach is not really working,” he said.
“Imposing minimum quality standards and making vapes only for pharmacies won’t solve the problem, but at least these measures will help people feel confident about the content of the products they buy – as long as the rules are followed.”