The Public Health Association of Australia welcomes the comprehensive action plan on vaping and tobacco use announced today by Health Minister Mark Butler and congratulates the Minister for committing to take decisive steps in the face of an emerging public health disaster.
Adjunct Prof Terry Slevin, CEO, Public Health Association of Australia says that the new measures, including stronger legislation, enforcement, education, and support to tackle recreational vaping are important steps toward re-establishing Australia’s position as a world leader on tobacco control.
“The widespread, aggressive marketing of vaping products, particularly to children, is a worldwide scourge,” says Adjunct Professor Slevin.
“For smokers who are legitimately trying to quit using vapes, the prescription model pathway is and should be in place.
“But that should not be at the cost of creating a new generation of nicotine addicts among children and young people.”
“We congratulate Minister Butler for responding to the evidence and standing up to a powerful industry that seeks to profit at the expense of current and future generations’ health.”
Minister Butler’s announcement comes as some of Australia’s leading tobacco experts gather in Adelaide at the PHAA’s Prevention 2023 conference, with vaping on the agenda of the 2-4 May event.
It also follows recent research, led by Professor Simone Pettigrew of The George Institute for Global Health, and published in the Australia and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, which showed that almost half of young people who completed an online survey reported being either current e-cigarette users (14 percent) or having tried or used them in the past (33 percent).
Adjunct Professor Slevin also welcomed the announcement of Government investment in a new public health campaign to discourage vaping and encourage Australians to quit smoking.
“We cannot forget that one in 10 adults woke up this morning craving a cigarette. Tobacco is still one of the leading preventable causes of death and illness in Australia.
“It has been over 10 years since Australia had a federally funded tobacco campaign and we have been calling for it to be reinvigorated for over five years, so this news is particularly welcome.”
Dr Raglan Maddox, Tobacco Spokesperson, PHAA, also welcomed the renewed funding for the Tackling Indigenous Smoking program.
“Most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who smoke want to quit, or wish they never took it up,” Dr Maddox said.
“But approximately 40 percent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults smoke daily. These measures are a much welcome step toward accelerating reductions in tobacco use.”
Adjunct Prof Slevin concluded: “Today is a pivotal, historical moment in Australia’s fight against smoking, vaping, and Big Tobacco. We congratulate Minister Butler, and look forward to seeing positive progress as he works with the states and territories to ensure these commitments are fulfilled.”
