Read articles from Australia

December 13, 2022 by smh.com.au

There have been 700,000 arrests for cannabis-related offending in Australia in the past 12 years, more than 90 per cent of them for personal use or possession.

That is the extraordinary finding from a study released [...] by public health research and drug policy organisation the Penington Institute. That’s hundreds of thousands of Australians entering the criminal justice system for use of a drug that likely does little harm to them and no measurable harm to others.

December 01, 2022 by ama.com.au

Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler announced a “patchwork quilt” of tobacco-related laws, regulations, instruments and court decisions would be streamlined into a single Act of Parliament. [...]
AMA President Professor Steve Robson said the announcement couldn’t come soon enough as tobacco smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death and disease in Australia.

“The failure to address lax laws curbing the tobacco and vaping industry over the last decade was a lost opportunity in public health policy, which has created the next generation of young people addicted to nicotine,” Professor Robson said.

November 30, 2022 by theguardian.com

So many Australian children are now addicted to nicotine from vaping that the federal health minister, Mark Butler, will propose reforms aimed at curtailing the e-cigarette industry.

Many children do not know they are consuming the highly addictive chemical until it is too late, experts say.

“The former government dropped the ball on vaping,” Butler told Guardian Australia. “Our children are paying the price for that division and delay.”

November 21, 2022 by c-store.com.au

Responsible Vaping Australia (RVA) has launched as a movement to represent industry and consumers who advocate for the responsible regulation of nicotine vaping products.

The aim of RVA, which has launched in partnership with retailers and industry associations, is to end the black market trade of nicotine vaping products and ensure Australian adult consumers are able to purchase products in a responsible and regulated way. Supporters of RVA are committed to vaping product standards, clear labelling of packaging, the quality of ingredients, youth access prevention, and responsible retailing practices.

November 14, 2022 by theaustralian.com.au

Laws intended to crack down on the sale of vapes may have inadvertently bolstered the black market as vendors exploit a loophole in the current legislation to import e-cigarettes into Australia.

The regulation, introduced in response to growing concern over the health impact and prevalence of vapes, is also failing to prevent people from ordering nicotine and vape products containing nicotine and prescriptions for the highly addictive substance can be purchased online.

University of Sydney vaping expert Dr Jody Moller said the word 'nicotine' had disappeared from the packaging of e-cigarettes over the past few months after the new laws came into force.

October 13, 2022 by ama.com.au

The AMA attended a roundtable hosted by Health Minister Mark Butler in Adelaide late last month to discuss current tobacco control regulatory settings in Australia and the emerging harms and increased uptake of e-cigarettes. 

The roundtable was comprised of public health experts, academics and leaders on tobacco control including Professor Emily Banks, Professor Tom Calma, Professor Simon Chapman, A/Professor Becky Freeman, Maurice Swanson and Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin.  

October 11, 2022 by abc.net.au

The WA Cancer Council is leading a push to "revitalise tobacco control" in the state by proposing halving the number of retailers and banning the sale of e-cigarettes, among other measures. WA Cancer Council president Ruth Shean said tobacco control in WA had benefited greatly from a strong commitment by the state government.

"However, there are more than 200,000 West Australians still smoking," Dr Shean said. "Our goal is to halve smoking rates in WA by 2030, but it requires all tiers of government to work together to implement an evidence-based, comprehensive approach."

October 05, 2022 by filtermag.org

The Australian government’s medical, prescription-only model for nicotine vaping was introduced on October 1, 2021, and has been a resounding policy failure. Like most prohibitionist policies, it has created a thriving illicit market and detrimental public health outcomes.

To legally possess nicotine e-liquid to quit smoking, vapers must get a doctor’s prescription and purchase supplies from pharmacies or international online vendors. The sale of nicotine from vape shops and other retail outlets is banned.

October 05, 2022 by abc.net.au

The peak body for Australia's convenience stores wants tougher vaping regulations, including a licensing scheme for retailers. It comes after the Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA) introduced a prescription-only model in all states and territories for nicotine-containing vapes and e-cigarettes in October last year.

"This decision will both reduce the risk of an on-ramp for teenagers," former health minister Greg Hunt said in December 2020. But Australian Association of Convenience Stores strategy and policy advisor Ben Meredith said the decision had failed to keep the products out of young hands, and more needed to be done.

September 27, 2022 by theguardian.com

Teen vaping has been in the news, with reports of rapidly increasing use and illegal sales of e-cigarettes.

As a Four Corners documentary on ABC TV earlier this year showed, parents and schools are struggling to manage this swift rise in vaping, with fears children are addicted and harming their health. In contrast, very limited research about Australian teen vaping has been published, until today.

We have published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health the first results from the Generation Vape study. The study aims to track teenagers’ knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours about using vapes (e-cigarettes).