March 21 - Australia's drug regulator is expected to recommend a total ban on the import of vaping products, as new research shows young people who use e-cigarettes are more likely to continue smoking regular cigarettes than those who do not.

This week, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will advise the government on how to change the law on e-cigarettes in response to rising rates of e-cigarette use, particularly among young people.

Top health bodies including the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Cancer Council have joined forces to call for a total ban on the import of all nicotine vape products without a prescription.

It follows a consultation process that closed in January and the TGA received around 4,000 submissions in response to the proposed changes, which included a complete ban on the import of vaping products without a GP prescription, whether they contain nicotine or not. Tough laws on advertising are also expected.

When the TGA submits its recommendations report to the health department, the content of the submission will be made public by the end of the week.

The federal health minister, Mark Butler, said problems related to e-cigarettes had exploded in the past few years and were completely unacceptable.

"It's now the government's job to act." 'he said. "Health chiefs are determined to take strong action against the proliferation of illegal e-cigarettes."

Butler said that at a meeting with his state and territory counterparts on 24 February, health ministers agreed to establish a national e-cigarette task force to review and make recommendations on any measures to be implemented following the TGA review.

Butler said the task force will focus on addressing the growing availability, appeal and acceptance of vaping products.

Guardian Australia understands the TGA, the federal Department of Health and the Border Force have been working together in advance of the TGA's advice to the government.

The peer-reviewed study, led by Professor Emily Banks, a public health physician at the Australian National University and published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday night, found that young non-smokers who used e-cigarettes were about three times more likely to continue smoking than non-smokers, compared to young people who did not use e-cigarettes.

The review found that e-cigarettes can help some smokers quit, but that the majority of e-cigarette smokers continue to smoke, and that the majority of young people who use e-cigarettes are not using them to quit.

"The evidence supports an Australian model of e-cigarette prescribing designed to avoid use among non-smokers and young people, while targeting use by smokers seeking to quit." 'said Banks.

"While we are aware of some of the risks associated with e-cigarettes, the review found that the impact of e-cigarettes on major health conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular disease is unclear."

"People who use e-cigarettes are inhaling a complex cocktail of chemicals."

AMA President Professor Steve Robson said there was enough evidence to warrant strong action to force the prescription model for e-cigarette products.

Robson said the Australian government needed to act now to enforce existing laws to clamp down on the illegal over-the-counter sale of e-cigarettes and tighten controls on the import of all nicotine and non-nicotine e-cigarette products.

"This will help us begin to address the issue of e-cigarette marketing to children."

Research published in late February by Becky Freeman, a professor of public health, describes how e-cigarette importers and retailers take advantage of exemptions in regulations for non-nicotine products, as well as nicotine-containing products disguised as non-nicotine products. As Guardian Australia has previously reported, children are often unwittingly inhaling nicotine and becoming addicted to it as manufacturers label products that contain it as nicotine-free to get around import bans.

Freeman's paper says: The ideal public health solution would be to eliminate the sale of all e-cigarette products, both nicotine and non-nicotine, that are not part of the TGA prescription drug access pathway.

Proposed reforms, such as a stronger prescription-only model, have led to a renewed push in recent months by big tobacco companies, which own and fund some e-cigarette companies and lobby groups, to allow the use of vaping products in bars, clubs and restaurants. Proponents of e-cigarettes argue that the proposed import reforms will lead to an increase in the black market.

The move to ban all imports of over-the-counter drugs was also backed by Anita Dessaix, chair of the Cancer Council's public health committee.

She said the vast majority of Australians, 89 per cent, were non-smokers and e-cigarettes were unsafe, threatening Australia's hard-won gains in tobacco control.

"Every state, territory and federal government now has sufficient evidence to take immediate action to reduce illegal supply and access." "Dessaix said.