Vaping

In reply to the Hon. S.L. GAME ().19 March 2024).

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector): The Minister for Health and Wellbeing has been advised:

South Australia has made significant progress in reducing smoking prevalence over many years. For example, daily smoking prevalence has decreased significantly from 20.7 per cent in 2010 to 8.2 per cent in 2022.

The surge in the use of e-cigarettes (also known as 'vapes') nationally and internationally, particularly by children and young people, threatens to undo this success. According to the 2022-23 Australian secondary school students' alcohol and drug survey, 28.7 per cent of students in South Australia had used e-cigarettes; a significant increase from 8.9 per cent in 2017.

Enforcement activity in South Australia and interstate has found that vape stores, and other retailers who sell vapes, continue to sell illegal nicotine-containing vapes in large quantities. This illegal activity by vape stores is a key reason why new laws are being introduced nationally, which will strengthen the requirements for e-cigarettes or vapes to be sold in pharmacies, to customers with a medical prescription.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration states on their website that the prescription-only model aims to 'balance the need to prevent adolescents and young adults from taking-up nicotine vaping (and potentially smoking), while enabling current smokers to access these products for smoking cessation with appropriate medical advice.'

Vaping can carry health risks, and ingestion of nicotine poses a poisoning risk. Therefore, a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner or pharmacist, is best placed to assess the potential risks and benefits for a specific patient. They can consider existing health conditions, medication interactions, and other factors that might impact the safety and efficacy of using vaping devices. Requiring a person to obtain a medical prescription and purchase from a pharmacy, allows for medical oversight of the patient's use of the product, its ongoing efficacy for cessation and any associated adverse reactions.

Evidence of the potential effectiveness of e-cigarettes for aiding quitting is currently mixed. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has concluded that nicotine vaping products are not a first line treatment for quitting, and that there are a range of other quitting medications and nicotine replacement therapies which have had significantly more testing for safety, quality and efficacy. However, for a person who has unsuccessfully tried to quit with these other aids, a patient may wish to discuss this option with a medical practitioner.

Additionally, the requirement for a prescription is an opportunity to ensure smokers or vapers receive cessation advice from a health practitioner, which has been shown to significantly increase the likelihood of successfully quitting both tobacco and vapes.

The Australian government introduced a bill to federal parliament on 21 March 2024 for these new national e-cigarette regulations. If passed, these e-cigarette laws will prevent domestic manufacture, advertisement, supply and commercial possession of non-therapeutic and disposable single use vapes.

The South Australian government has been an active participant in progressing these national vaping reforms by working together closely with the Australian government and other state and territory governments on the implementation plans needed for a strong legislative framework.

The laws aim to ensure the introduction of comprehensive controls on e-cigarette products across all levels of the supply chain and will represent a significant enhancement to the current laws.