Vapeboss – In its mission to reclaim its position as a global leader in tobacco control, Australia has a long process ahead of it. In its second major anti-vaping initiative in two years, Australia will ban the import of all illegally sold vaping products, including e-liquids and devices that do not contain nicotine. The government's action is a response to growing moral panic over a surge in cheap, disposable nicotine vapes sold in convenience stores. Even stricter rules will be applied to legal vaping products. Non-tobacco flavors will not be permitted, and products will only be sold in plain packaging like pharmaceutical products. The government stated it will also reduce the permitted nicotine levels and directly ban disposable vapes.

Experts are divided on whether the proposed new vaping reforms will stem the rise in its use among young Australians, or encourage an increase in smoking habits. Health Minister Mark Butler announced a massive vaping crackdown this week, including banning popular disposable vapes and prohibiting the import of non-prescription vaping products into Australia. Adults will only be able to purchase vapes from pharmacies with a prescription, rather than from convenience stores, and vapes will only be sold in plain packaging and flavors. However, not everyone is convinced the reforms will achieve what the government hopes.

Dr. Joe Kosterich, Chairman of the Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association, said the reforms would block a path for smokers to quit while not preventing children from getting addictive nicotine products. "While some of these health organizations are patting themselves on the back, people who are genuinely trying to quit smoking or people who have successfully quit smoking through vaping will suffer," he said.
"Vapes are already illegal for teenagers; you can't make them more illegal than they are now, and if they're going to take them to the black market, the black market will get stronger because of this movement."

However, Dr. Kosterich's arguments were questioned by other experts who said the move would help stem the rising number of young people vaping. Dr. Barnes argued that teenagers can easily access illegal vapes through convenience stores, which is why vapes should only be sold in pharmacies. The decision to make vapes only available in a pharmaceutical setting is illogical, according to Dr. Kosterich, as it would make vapes harder to obtain than regular cigarettes, which are more harmful.

He cited a 2016 report from the Royal College of Physicians which found that the health hazards to humans from inhaling vapor were only 5 percent of the harm caused by smoking tobacco.

"You don't need a doctor's recommendation to buy cigarettes, so why would you need a doctor's recommendation to get an option that is 95 percent less harmful?" he concluded.

Implementing minimum quality standards and making pharmacies the sole distributors of vapes will not solve the problem, but these steps will at least help people be confident in the content of the products they purchase, provided the rules are enforced. The new government policy is a step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done.

Source: theaustralian.com.au