Read articles from Australia

January 31, 2023 by spectator.com.au

The past week has seen some discussion – finally – of practical, workable solutions to controlling the black market in vaping products that is targeting Australian kids.

It’s something of a pity it is taking place after the closure of the government’s consultation period on future policy in the area, which is of great concern to millions of parents around the country.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the agency that currently oversees the regulation of nicotine vaping products (NVPs), closed its doors to public submissions on January 16.

January 23, 2023 by theguardian.com

The criminalisation of nicotine vaping risks “unintended consequences” including fuelling the black market, causing worse health outcomes and even potentially putting people in prison when we should be trying to keep them out, the Australian Alcohol and other Drugs Council (AADC) says.

It is an offence in all states and territories to supply a nicotine vape to someone without a prescription, and to either possess or use one without a prescription.

Despite the restrictions, nearly one million Australians now regularly vape, double the number in 2019-2020, according to the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA). An estimated 11% of 16-to-24-year-olds are regularly vaping, PHAA said.

January 23, 2023 by mja.com.au

A RECENTLY published article in the Medical Journal of Australia by Associate Professor Becky Freeman and colleagues has reported notable increases in New South Wales e-cigarette consumers between 2016 and 2020.

Overall, e-cigarette use increased from 6.6% of survey respondents to 13% in 2020. The proportion of 18–24-year-old respondents using e-cigarettes tripled to 27.2%, and the proportion of 25–39-year-old respondents using e-cigarettes doubled to 16.1%. For smokers and recent quitters aged 40 years and over, there was no substantial change in the use of e-cigarettes.

January 20, 2023 by youtube.com

Nicotine vaping products should be sold as adult consumer products in licensed retail premises with strict age verification, like cigarettes and alcohol. The prescription-only model has been a resounding failure.

January 18, 2023 by smh.com.au

The Australian College of GPs has warned Australia risks trading one public health disaster for another as “big tobacco” morphs its strategies to hook a new generation on vaping, adding to a chorus of health organisations urging the federal government to tighten rules around e-cigarettes.

As retailers backed by tobacco companies called for the government to allow them to sell vapes behind the counter, Nicole Higgins, president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, cautioned the tobacco lobby was using old tactics in the debate over vaping laws.

January 17, 2023 by smh.com.au

Vapes should be sold in shops from behind the counter under the same strict adults-only regulations as cigarettes, according to a submission from the country’s convenience stores, who argue it is the only way to counter a thriving black market in e-cigarettes.

The head of the Australian Association of Convenience Stores, Theo Foukkare, said poorly enforced restrictions on vapes had led to unregulated use among children, as well as millions of dollars in lost revenue for both retailers and the government.

January 16, 2023 by ama.com.au

The Australian Medical Association has called for stronger, strictly enforced regulations on vaping, telling the federal government Australia is at risk of losing the public health battle on vaping if strong action isn’t taken.  

AMA President Professor Stephen Robson said Australia had been a world-leader on tobacco and nicotine control for decades but has dropped the ball with vaping.  

“Vaping is not harmless, it is not safe, it is not part of tobacco control,” Professor Robson said.   

January 13, 2023 by abc.net.au

Victoria's health promotion foundation is urging the federal government to act "swiftly" to stop Australian youths from vaping, as its consultation on proposed reforms enters the final week. VicHealth chief executive Sandro Demaio described vaping use among the youth population as "exploding" over the past two years.

"The industry has used the pandemic … and uncertainty young people have been facing … to push these products very successfully onto young people," Dr Demaio said.

January 03, 2023 by skynews.com.au

Ms Plibersek took to Twitter on New Year’s Day to outline a number of reasons why vaping is unhealthy and bad for the environment.

“Obviously it’s bad for your health, but it’s also terrible for the environment. Every vape that goes into landfill dumps plastic, poisons, nicotine salts, heavy metals, lead, mercury, and flammable lithium-ion batteries into the environment,” she wrote.

December 22, 2022 by abc.net.au

It's been six decades since the landmark surgeon general's report that shed definitive light on the deadly nature of cigarettes.

And while it would be easy to feel complacent, and rest on our laurels as a nation now proudly at the forefront of tobacco control … we should be anything but.

The tobacco industry has re-emerged with an addictive and dangerous new threat. It's now repeating the deadly playbook that so effectively led to thousands of lives ending early and enormous levels of pain and suffering.