24 July 2024

ALAN HAYES

 

WHY is vaping worse than smoking? E-cigarette vapour includes cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are known to pose risks to health. And, just like tobacco, they cause individuals to crave a smoke and suffer withdrawal symptoms if they ignore the craving – most e-cigarettes in Australia contain nicotine, even when the packaging says it doesn't.

 

Nicotine is a highly addictive and toxic drug that can harm brain development and impact attention, learning, memory and changes in mood. It also raises your blood pressure and spikes your adrenaline, which increases your heart rate and the likelihood of having a heart attack.

 

The problem with vaping is that you don’t have to vape every day to get addicted, and to suffer from anxiety and depression - nicotine makes anxiety and depression worse. It also affects memory, concentration, self-control, and attention, especially in developing brains.

 

The most damaging side-effect of vaping, however, is EVALI - a serious lung condition that causes widespread damage to your lungs and gives you symptoms like coughing, shortness of breath and chest pain. EVALI can be fatal.

 

E-cigarettes also pose a second-hand smoke risk, just like regular tobacco cigarettes. The devices do not just emit harmless water vapour, as some would argue.

 

Although the Federal Government’s world leading vaping reforms became a reality, after the passage of the Bill through Parliament, there’ still a proliferation of new tobacco shops opening up. And the Central Coast is no exception – in Wyong alone, there are four tobacco shops within close proximity to each other.

 

As from 1 July 2024, the sale, supply, manufacture, importation, and commercial possession of non-therapeutic vapes was prohibited, with very serious penalties for those individuals and businesses that contravene the laws.

 

From 1 July, people seeking a therapeutic vape will need to have a conversation with their GP and get a prescription to buy a regulated therapeutic vape from their local pharmacy. People under 18 will always need to do this.

 

From 1 October, that conversation around health harms and risks can take place with a pharmacist, with no prescription needed.

 

So, this begs the question: “why is there still a plethora of tobacco shops with their doors still open?” Most of them originally opened for the sole purpose of selling vapes!

 

The peak professional body for pharmacists, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, has recognised the need for strong action to end the retail supply of vapes, and said it will now work with the Government on the development of best practice guidelines for pharmacists.

 

Therapeutic vaping products will be behind the counter, nicotine concentrations and dispensing quantities will be tightly controlled, they will have plain pharmaceutical-like packaging, and flavours will be restricted to tobacco, menthol and mint.

 

Therapeutic vapes will have similar restrictions to other pharmacist-only products like the morning after pill, pseudoephedrine, allergy and asthma medications. Pharmacists will be required to check photo ID and, importantly, have a conversation with that person around the health harms of vaping.

 

Therapeutic vaping goods can only be imported into Australia if the importer has a licence and permission from the Office of Drug Control (ODC) and has notified the Therapeutic Goods Administration that the products comply with TGA standards:

 

*the TGA standard Therapeutic Goods (Standard for Therapeutic Vaping Goods) (TGO 110) Order 2021 (TGO 110); or

 

*the applicable essential principles, set out in the Therapeutic Goods (Medical Devices) Regulations 2002 (MD Regulations).

 

Australia’s world leading laws will return vapes and e-cigarettes to what they were originally sold to the Australian community and to governments around the world as: therapeutic products to help hardened smokers kick the habit.

 

Federal Minister for Health, Mark Butler said, “Recreational vaping is a scourge. It is a public health menace, particularly for children and for young people.

 

“A product that was presented as a therapeutic good that would help hardened smokers kick the habit finally, has actually been deployed by Big Tobacco as a tool to recruit a new generation to nicotine addiction.

 

“Every now and then, the Parliament has a real opportunity to do something meaningful and lasting for the health of young Australians and today was one of those days.”

 

“The best time to have done this was five years ago. The second-best time is right now.”

 

Federal and state authorities in all jurisdictions will be able to enforce the laws, just as they have been enforcing the import controls that were implemented in the first three months of 2024. Since 1 January, almost 2.9 million vapes have been seized by the Australian Border Force and Therapeutic Goods Administration.

 

Member for Robertson, Dr Gordon Reid said, “As an emergency doctor, I see firsthand the effects of nicotine addiction in our hospitals, as a government we have taken swift action to ensure that we do not encourage a new generation addicted to nicotine via vapes.

 

“I urge our community to report any incidents of unlawful activity to the Therapeutic Goods Administration or Service NSW.”

 

The Federal Government maintains that the new laws are to protect young Australians and the broader community from the harms of recreational vaping, while ensuring that those who really need access to a therapeutic vape for help to quit smoking, can get one from their local pharmacy.

 

But will these new laws work, or will they simply drive the illegal supply of vapes underground?

 

There doesn’t appear to be a mass closure of all the new tobacco outlets, which opened up after vapes entered the market, nor does it seem realistic that so many shops could be viable selling only tobacco products! Will the new laws merely give rise to another illegal drug problem, just like the other illicit drugs that proliferate our society?

 

To report a breach in the alleged supply of vapes, visit ‘TGA Questionable Practices’.

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