Statement – ADA Tasmania President Dr Katelyn McCracken, 24 September 2024
ADA Tasmania backs strengthened vaping legislation in Tasmania
The Australian Dental Association Tasmania Branch commends the Tasmanian Government on its plans to introduce legislation continuing the requirement for all adults to have a doctor’s prescription to purchase vaping devices, and banning the purchase of these devices for all minors under 18.
Harmful substances have been found in e-cigarette liquids and the vapours produced, which could increase the risk of lung disease, heart disease and cancer. Initial research also suggests that vaping has adverse effects on the mouth, including fungal infections, dental caries, periodontal disease and oral injuries.
Furthermore, there is not sufficient evidence that e-cigarettes are an effective smoking cessation tool. In fact, people who take up the use of e-cigarettes are around three times more likely to take up smoking, and former smokers who use e-cigarettes are more likely to relapse.
The passing of this legislation by the Tasmanian Government will restrict the availability of vaping devices and ensure that use of these devices is guided by medical professionals, which gives them suitable opportunity to provide advice regarding smoking and vaping cessation.
The legislation will also reduce access to these devices for minors, reducing the chance of creating a new generation of people with nicotine addiction as well as reducing the future burden of the currently unknown long-term health impacts of vaping.
We are encouraged that Guy Barnett and the Tasmanian Government is listening to the advice of health professionals including dentists, to protect the public from the harms of e-cigarettes, and we call on all political parties to support this necessary reform.
For further information about vaping visit https://www.health.tas.gov.au/vaping.
Media release – TSBC, 18 September 2024
Proposed Anti Vape legislation an Ill considered Knee Jerk
The announcement today by the Minister for Health to introduce completely irrelevant legislation to limit the use of vapes seems a distraction to the other pressing matters parliament could and should be dealing with.
CEO of the TSBC, Robert Mallett said that ‘of course nicotine and vaping products should not be sold to people under the age of 18, it is already the law and not impossible to control at the retail level but to make people looking to reduce their incidence of tobacco smoking by forcing a doctor’s prescription to access vapes and buy them in a pharmacy is a completely unnecessary burden on the already stretched GP community.’
‘Let’s look at the practicality of this proposed legislation. Are the police going to insist seeing the prescription of anybody they see vaping on the street? Nope. Is the Department of Health going to have a bunch of Vape Rangers on the street checking on the prescription status of vapers outside their offices? Nope.
‘In short, people will continue to access vapes with little extra effort, the government will look silly because their shiny new legislation will be unfit for purpose and the illicit/organised crime element will now have yet another product they can put on their shelves and sell with impunity.
‘Happy days for all except for those who wish they could get a properly regulated vape product with some accurate information on what they are inhaling.
