Read articles from Oceania

February 13, 2024 by unimelb.edu.au

The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey has found that younger Australians between the ages of 15 and 24 are the most likely to use e-cigarettes and vaping devices. 14.1% of Australians over the age of 15 have tried e-cigarettes or vaping, with young people being the highest demographic. Professor Roger Wilkins, Deputy Director of the Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research and HILDA Survey Co-Director, says vaping is “very much a young person phenomenon”. “I think the rise in vaping has been driven by the high price of cigarettes – younger people can’t contemplate spending $AU50 or $AU60 on a packet of cigarettes.

February 13, 2024 by medicalrepublic.com.au

A recent report has revealed concerning trends related to smoking, vaping, substance use, and mental health in Australia. The report, based on data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, found that tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption are declining, while vaping is on the rise, particularly among teenagers. Males were more likely to use e-cigarettes than females, and residents of New South Wales were the most likely to be e-cigarette users.

February 08, 2024 by health.gov.au

The Albanese Government has implemented world-leading reforms to address the rising concern of vaping among young Australians. Starting with the ban on importing disposable, single-use vapes, further changes will be implemented in March. Restrictions on flavors, reduction in nicotine concentration, and the use of pharmaceutical packaging aim to make vapes less appealing to young people. New laws will make it illegal to produce, advertise, or sell single-use disposable or non-therapeutic vapes nationwide. The goal is to reduce the availability and accessibility of vaping products and ensure that they are only obtainable from pharmacies for therapeutic purposes.

February 08, 2024 by bnnbreaking.com

The Australian Federal Government is deeply concerned about the rising popularity of nicotine pouches, also known as 'snus,' among young people. These pouches, which do not contain tobacco but contain nicotine, carry potential health risks and addiction concerns. Marketing efforts on social media platforms like TikTok, where fitness influencers promote them as a tool to quit vaping, have contributed to their growing popularity among non-smokers and young individuals. To address this, the government has regulated nicotine pouches as prescription medicines starting from October 2021. [...]

February 07, 2024 by theguardian.com

The federal government is “deeply concerned” about nicotine pouches being advertised and supplied in Australia, and has condemned social media marketing aimed at young people. Nicotine pouches resemble snus, a smokeless oral tobacco product popular in Scandinavia, which is inserted between lips and gums. Oral tobacco has been banned in Australia since 1991 but nicotine pouches are promoted as tobacco free, containing nicotine extracted from tobacco or synthetic nicotine. Nicotine pouches have surged in popularity around the world, particularly among young people in the US, in part due to athletes and social media influencers using the products.

February 07, 2024 by adf.org.au

From January 1, 2024, the Australian Government banned the importation of disposable vapes into Australia. This includes vapes with and without nicotine. Disposable vapes are e-cigarette devices that can’t be recharged, or reused. And from March 1, 2024, other requirements will be introduced including:

• a ban on the importation of all vapes (including rechargeable) without an import licence and permit
• specific product requirements for imported vapes, with flavours limited to mint, menthol or tobacco.

February 07, 2024 by theage.com.au

Victoria’s black market for vapes has been valued at up to $500 million, prompting warnings the proceeds must be kept out of the hands of organised crime as the state grapples with a gangland war for control of the sale of illegally imported cigarettes. The importation and sale of illegal tobacco in Victoria has been linked to dozens of firebombings, and a new analysis from the state’s Parliamentary Budget Office has sparked fears the closely associated e-cigarette industry could become another lucrative black market.

February 05, 2024 by dailymail.co.uk

The Government's plan to ban disposable vapes has been branded 'a big mistake' by doctors who warn the move could drive up smoking rates and even lead to a rise in gang violence. But experts warn that users may end up smoking cigarettes instead – potentially reversing years of campaigning which have led to the UK's historically low smoking rate. Many point to Australia where, despite some of the strictest anti-vaping laws in the world, the number of teens both vaping and smoking has rocketed as a flourishing black market involving organised crime gangs has made the devices easier to buy.

February 02, 2024 by youtube.com

Why the ban on importing disposable vapes won't work. A ban will: - Fuel the black market. The black market will go underground and supplies will be readily available - Some vapers will relapse to smoking - a health disaster. Prohibition simply hands the market to criminal gangs with no age of sale retrictions, no quality control and no tax paid. Good one Mark Butler!

February 01, 2024 by 1news.co.nz

Public health experts are calling on the Government to be totally transparent on any past or present dealings its MPs have had with tobacco companies. The coalition is set to repeal the previous government's smokefree legislation, which would have banned the sale of tobacco to anyone born from January 1, 2009; cut the number of retailers; and de-nicotinised cigarettes. The Government is vowing to still meet Smokefree 2025 targets, but reasons it gave for repealing the previous legislation included that it could lead to a rise in crime and a tobacco black market.