Page 1123 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 5 April 2016
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
nicotine can be a dangerous drug, especially during pregnancy and for developing children and adolescents. Cases of acute nicotine poisoning have risen significantly internationally. Nicotine may also play a role in tumour promotion and growth and is being investigated as a possible cancer-causing agent. There is also evidence that flavourings used in e-cigarettes may be harmful to users.
Concern has been expressed about whether personal vaporiser use may be a possible gateway to smoking. A 2014 World Health Organisation report noted that experimentation with e-cigarettes is increasing among adolescents and young adults and is highest amongst those who also smoke tobacco. This is true both in Australia and internationally.
The data currently available on youth personal vaporiser use patterns in Australia shows that dual use of tobacco and personal vaporisers is the most likely scenario as current smokers are also the most likely to be current users. Additionally, the appeal of favoured personal vaporisers to children and young people is of concern, with studies reporting rapid uptake of personal vaporisers among adolescents in countries where they are readily available.
While we know a number of people are using personal vaporisers as an aid to quit smoking, this is to be commended and anything which can be used to assist people to quit smoking should be promoted. However, at this stage there is a lack of definitive evidence regarding the efficacy of personal vaporisers as a smoking cessation aid. Outcomes of smoking cessation research are highly mixed, with some studies reporting increased smoking cessation with personal vaporiser use and others reporting less smoking cessation with use. As a result, the ACT government cannot recommend the use of vaporisers as a cessation device. However, as I noted at the beginning, we are not pursuing an outright ban to allow those who wish to use vaporisers to quit smoking to continue to do so.
Also of concern to the government, personal vaporisers are not subject to the stringent manufacturing and safety controls that apply to therapeutic goods, raising concerns regarding consistent dosage, accuracy of labelling and quality control. Noting these concerns and lack of definitive long-term evidence, both the World Health Organisation and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council have recommended that health authorities act to minimise potential harm from personal vaporiser use until further evidence of safety, quality and efficacy can be proven.
To date two Australian states have enacted specific legislation to regulate personal vaporisers. As of 1 January 2015 laws took effect in Queensland that include personal vaporisers as smoking products in existing tobacco control laws. On 24 June 2015 a bill to amend the Public Health (Tobacco) Act 2008 in New South Wales was passed, placing restrictions on the sale to minors, display and advertising of e-cigarettes. Additionally, Western Australian tobacco law currently bans the sale of any food, toy or other product that is designed to resemble a tobacco product, including e-cigarettes. With the passage of this bill today the ACT will become the fourth Australian jurisdiction to directly regulate personal vaporisers.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video