Answers to Questions

Vaping

In reply to the Hon. S.L. GAME ().11 April 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 advised:

The Australian parliament is currently considering amendments to the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989which, once passed, will effectively work towards ending the illegal supply of nicotine vapes in Australia. The South Australian government continues to be an active participant in progressing these national reforms.

The importation of disposable and non-therapeutic vaping products into Australia is now banned. This black market for illicit nicotine vaping products is being starved of its supply. And these new amendments will further restrict the market and availability of these products to young people. These reforms will also reduce the appeal of vapes by removing the bright colours and requiring pharmaceutical like packaging, restricting their flavours and regulating nicotine concentration.

Vapes were marketed as a smoking cessation product but the uptake of these products has included significant numbers of non-smokers, particularly children and young people. Vaping has been shown to triple the chance of a non-smoker taking up cigarette smoking.

These products are not safe and have been shown to carry their own health risks. Only in the past weeks have KidSafeSA highlighted the alarming increase in calls to the National Poisons Information Centre with nicotine related calls in South Australia rising to 78 in 2023 compared to 53 in 2022. Ingestion of nicotine poses a serious poisoning risk and could potentially be fatal for young children.

The evidence surrounding the effectiveness of vapes in aiding smoking cessation is mixed. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners does not recommend vaping products as a first line treatment. For those who think vaping may assist them in quitting, there is the option for them to discuss this with their medical practitioner as part of a cessation plan. Seeking advice from a health practitioner has been shown to increase the likelihood of quitting successfully. There are a number of evidence based quitting medications and therapies which had significant testing for efficacy, quality and safety.

The approach taken by both the Australian and state governments balances the needs of those wanting to quit to access these products and the risk to our children and young people. This government makes no apology for taking this strong stance.