loading
Home   |   News   |  

Tobacco expert: Australia's experiment with prescription e-cigarettes is a stunning policy failure

Tobacco expert: Australia's experiment with prescription e-cigarettes is a stunning policy failure

2022-10-09

On October 8th, Dr. Colin Mendelsohn, the founding chairman of the Australian Association for Tobacco Harm Reduction, recently released his views on Australia's e-cigarette regulatory policy, saying that Australia's experiment with prescription e-cigarettes is a stunning policy failure.



The following is the full text:


The Australian Government's medical, prescription-only model for nicotine e-cigarettes was launched on 1 October 2021 by the Australian Department of Health at Greg Hunt. Twelve months later, it was a resounding and predictable policy failure.


The regulations aim to prevent teens from vaping and allow adult smokers to use e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid. After 12 months, it became clear they were only making things worse, as ATHRA predicted.


Predictably, this prohibitionist model has created a thriving black market selling illegal, unregulated vaping products that do not meet Australian standards. A large amount of inferior equipment is imported from China and widely sold on tobacconists, convenience stores, online and on social media.


Illegal products have no quality control and are sold on the black market for free to children. Criminal organizations are increasingly involved.


Law enforcement in the black market is trivial. Prosecutions by state and territory health departments are rare. Businesses typically resume selling illegal products within weeks of raids.


Interdiction of illegal imports by Australian Border Force is extremely rare and the vast majority of illegal imports go undetected.


The widespread availability of single-use nicotine e-cigarettes on the black market has destroyed the legal retail vaping industry. Many stores reported a sharp drop in sales, and some stores closed as a result.


The number of teens vaping has skyrocketed since the new rules went into effect.


Nearly every day, there are media reports about the prevalence of vaping among young people. Tobacco dealers, convenience stores, gas stations, and even Uber sell high-nicotine (5-6%) single-use e-cigarettes to underage users for free. Equipment is easy to buy on social media, often with home delivery.


There are increasing reports of teens vaping in toilets and classrooms from schools. Some schools are installing vaping detectors, removing toilet doors, locking toilets during school hours, installing security cameras, suspending student use of e-cigarettes in schools and confiscating e-cigarettes. There have been reports of students becoming nicotine dependent, unable to stop vaping, and other adverse effects. Children as young as five also reportedly use e-cigarettes.


Only a very small number of e-cigarette users have a prescription for nicotine. The exact number is unknown.


It's hard to find a doctor who can prescribe nicotine. In June 2022, less than 1% of GPs (200 of 31,000) were publicly listed as nicotine prescribers by the TGA.


Doctors are skeptical of e-cigarettes. They often receive negative advice from governments and health organizations, as well as mainstream media. GPs are also concerned about the legal risk of prescribing products that are not approved by the TGA (the medicines regulatory agency).


GPs also know very little about vaping and have little training. Most people don't even know how to write a nicotine prescription. It's no wonder that many vapers or would-be vapers don't have access to prescriptions.


Legal access is complex, burdensome and expensive. It's much easier to buy deadly cigarettes.


In any case, many smokers do not consider themselves patients in need of smoking cessation medication and refuse to see a doctor.


Only a few Australian community and online pharmacies offer nicotine liquids. Those who stock up on nicotine products have very little choice. By 2022, only 2% of purchases will come from pharmacies, the government's preferred model.


The only way to eliminate illegal markets is to replace them with legal and regulated markets.


Nicotine liquids should be adult consumer products sold from licensed retail outlets such as vaping stores, convenience stores, tobacconists and general stores that sell tobacco,


Strict age verification, severe penalties and revocation of licenses are required for sales to minors, and strict law enforcement is required.


The Australian experiment failed. Before more Australian smokers die unnecessarily, we need to admit this mistake and bring nicotine in e-cigarettes in line with all other western countries.


Chat Online
Chat Online
Leave Your Message inputting...
Sign in with: