Media release – Guy Barnett, Minister for Health, Mental Health and Wellbeing, 30 August 2024
Strong actions to stamp out vaping in Tasmania
The Tasmanian Government will take strong action to stamp out vaping with nation-leading reforms to significantly reduce the use and uptake of e-cigarettes, particularly among young people.
Legislation will be introduced to Parliament in the coming weeks that will:
- ban the sale of vape products for children and young people under 18 years, with or without a prescription; and
- ensure e-cigarettes can only be supplied by pharmacies to people 18 years or over with a prescription.
Minister for Health, Mental Health, and Wellbeing, Guy Barnett, said the Tasmanian Government has stepped up where the Federal Government has failed to protect the community from the harms of vaping, especially our children and young people.
“Under our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future we want Tasmania to be the healthiest and happiest place it can possibly be, and these strong reforms to stamp out vaping are another important step to achieving this,” Minister Barnett said.
“It is abundantly clear that the Federal Government’s watered down vaping reforms do not go far enough to protect our children and young people.
“They also effectively turn pharmacies into vape shops, with limited clinical oversight.
“We do not agree with the Federal Government’s legislation, and we are taking action to resolve it.
“We have worked closely with relevant stakeholders who are seeing the impacts of vaping on our community, and I thank them for their input into these strong preventative health measures.”
Minister Barnett said the reforms will complement our existing and ongoing initiatives that are helping people who smoke to quit, whilst continuing to encourage young people to remain smoke and vape free.
“We are continuing to work with QUIT Tasmania to provide more education and support for people who want to reduce or quit smoking and vaping, and our new Vaping, e-learning package has been rolled out across all schools in Tasmania,” Minister Barnett said.
“Our multi-faceted approach to stamp out vaping is both reducing access and increasing education to prevent the uptake, with the community to benefit as a result.”
Media release – Australian Medical Association, Tasmanian Branch, 30 August 2024
AMA TASMANIA COMMENDS THE TASMANIAN GOVERNMENT FOR STEPPING UP TO PROTECT YOUNG TASMANIANS
The Australian Medical Association, Tasmanian Branch welcomes the Tasmanian government’s nation-leading vaping reforms that will require a prescription for adults to access the product and ban vapes for under 18-year-olds.
This decisive step is crucial in ending a growing public health crisis, especially among our young and most vulnerable Tasmanians.
AMA Tasmania President Dr Michael Lumsden-Steel said this tough stance would help reduce the widespread availability of vapes by imposing much stricter controls.
More importantly, it would ensure that people looking for nicotine cessation support can be guided by general practitioners who are best placed to do this.
We commend Health Minister Guy Barnett and the state government for putting this issue firmly on their agenda and for choosing to listen to the public health experts.
There is no such thing as a safe product that results in the inhalation of nicotine into a person’s lungs, and there is little evidence to show vaping is a successful smoking cessation tool.
What we do know is that without decisive action, the next generation of nicotine addicts has been born courtesy of an aggressive tobacco industry looking to expand its markets.
This decision will help get vapes out of the hands of our kids, resulting in fewer young people taking up vaping and becoming addicted to nicotine.
The AMA is ready to assist in every possible way to ensure we do everything we can against the insidious vaping and tobacco industry.
The AMA has been a leading campaigner for vaping reform for a long time.
We are glad the government has listened to the evidence and the overwhelming advice from public health experts that vapes are shockingly bad for your health.
GPs have been helping patients with nicotine dependence for decades. They are the best placed to support patients quitting smoking and vaping.
We call on all political parties to put aside their political differences and support the government in implementing these crucial arrangements.
Media release – Heart Foundation, 30 August 2024
Heart Foundation welcomes tough Tasmanian vaping announcement
The Heart Foundation today welcomes the Tasmanian Government’s announcement that it will work to strengthen vaping legislation to ensure only adults can obtain a vape from a pharmacy by way of a prescription from their GP – and children not at all.
“Tasmania already has one of the highest rates of heart disease in the nation and the more we learn about vaping, the more we understand its harmful effects on the human body, including its links to heart disease,” said Dr Joce Nettlefold, the Heart Foundation’s General Manager, Tasmania.
“One recent study found that any use of e-cigarettes is associated with a 33% increased risk of having a heart attack when compared to people that have never used e-cigarettes.”
Dr Nettlefold said vaping would help to protect adults and young people alike.
“Young people who vape are three times more likely to start tobacco smoking than young people who don’t vape,” she said.
“The proposed legislation will also help people who use vapes to quit smoking in the most effective way possible: with the help of their GP.”
The proposed legislation would strengthen the local implementation of Australia’s world-leading legislation, which is currently being rolled out nationally.
If you are smoking or vaping and wish to quit, please contact Quit Tasmania or speak with your doctor.
Media release – Cancer Council, 30 August 2024
NEW STATE VAPING LEGISLATION
Cancer Council Tasmania and Quit Tasmania today stated their support for proposed State Government legislation requiring a prescription to access e-cigarettes (vapes) via pharmacies.
Cancer Council CEO Alison Lai said it was a welcome addition to regulatory changes introduced by the Commonwealth Government a few months ago.
“It’s an added safeguard that protects the health of Tasmanians from the harms of nicotine addiction and the toxic chemicals in vapes,” Ms Lai said.
“It also ensures people who use vapes to quit smoking use them in the most effective way possible. If passed by the Tasmanian Parliament, the legislation would not only be an Australian first, but also world-leading.”
Quit Tasmania Director Abby Smith said the changes would further prevent young people from starting to vape, while also providing the best support for people to quit vaping and smoking.
“Today, we have new figures from the Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, estimating that 11,193 Tasmanian students aged 12-17 have ever vaped, with 2037 having vaped on 20 or more days in the month prior to being surveyed,” Ms Smith said.
“Young people who vape are three times as likely to take up tobacco smoking compared to their non-vaping peers. We know these products are dangerous, particularly for young people, and none have been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration as a cessation aid to help with quitting smoking.
“That means vaping products sold in Australia have not been formally evaluated by the TGA for quality, efficacy and safety (unlike most medicines available for sale in Australia) and is why they aren’t recommended as a first option to help any person to quit smoking.”
Ms Smith said it was important to remember the proposed changes do not “ban” vaping for smoking cessation or criminalise people who vape.
“It ensures they are available by prescription for quitting smoking with the personalised advice of a medical practitioner.
“We strongly support these reforms and encourage our State Parliament to support the upcoming legislation.”
Ms Smith said for people who want to set themselves up with the best chance of quitting successfully, the evidence suggests TGA-approved pharmacotherapies like nicotine patches and gum alongside behavioural counselling like the Tasmanian Quitline 13 7848.
“Quit Tasmania has seen increased investment from Government to provide best practice support for people to quit smoking and vaping.
“In coming months, this includes extending Quitline operating hours to 8am-8pm Monday to Friday, introducing new youth-appropriate channels like text messaging and online chat, and providing intensive support to priority population groups (young people, First Nations people and pregnant women and their partners), including free nicotine replacement therapy, if clinically appropriate.”
Quit Tasmania encourages people who are looking for support to quit smoking or vaping to see their doctor or reach out to our qualified counsellors by calling 13 7848 or requesting a call online at quittas.org.au.
Quitline counsellors have specific training to ensure support is tailored to the needs of young people. People can also download the free My QuitBuddy app.
