Australia - Tobacco Reporter

Activists Outraged Over Vaping Policy Guidance

Tobacco harm reduction activists are outraged over a new Australian government document on vaping.

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recently published its 2022 CEO Statement on Electronic Cigarettes, which provides guidance to public health policymakers.

According to the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA), the document falsely claims that vaping is not an effective quit-smoking tool, but a gateway to smoking with most vapers becoming dual users. Vaping, the document states, also increases the risk of smoking relapse. The NHMRC exaggerates the health impacts, poisoning and explosion risks of e-cigarettes, according to CAPHRA, while references to toxins and potential harms are made without a fair comparison to smoking.

“This latest government document on vaping makes outrageously false claims and will only cost more Australian smokers their lives,” says Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of CAPHRA.

“Ridiculously, Australia’s chief medical officer considers vaping the next biggest health issue after COVID-19. Has he ever heard of smoking which kills over 20,000 Australians every year? This 18-page document is a complete joke. It is full of statements that can be easily debunked by international science and human evidence the world over,” says Loucas.

This egregious document is not worth the paper it’s written on, yet it’s now the bible for public health guidance in and around Australia.

Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator, CAPHRA

CAPHRA says Australia’s hardline anti-vaping approach is increasingly out of step with other Asia Pacific countries, with the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand set to lift their vaping bans. What’s more, New Zealand, across the Tasman, is already operating under a regulatory framework that has seen smoking rates decline.

“This egregious document is not worth the paper it’s written on, yet it’s now the bible for public health guidance in and around Australia,” says Loucas.

It is illegal to sell, supply or possess nicotine vaping products, with Australia the only Western democracy that requires a nicotine prescription to vape. Alarmingly, 2.3 million Australians continue to smoke cigarettes.

Last year Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration expanded its prescription-only model with customs clamping down at the border on the likes of personal imports of nicotine vaping liquids from overseas websites.

July 1, 2022

New South Wales Sets High Fines for Youth Sales

More than $1 million worth of illegal e-cigarettes and liquids containing nicotine have been seized in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, this year.

NSW Health has seized more than $3 million of the banned products since July 2020.

Since October 2021, products containing nicotine are only available for people over the age of 18 when prescribed by a medical practitioner for smoking cessation purposes, from an Australian pharmacy or via importation into Australia with a valid prescription, according to 7News.

For all other retailers in NSW, the sale of e-cigarettes or e-liquids containing nicotine is illegal.

The curb on illegal nicotine sales extends to online shops with the maximum penalty of $1,650 per offense, six months in prison or both.

Selling to minors also comes with hefty fines. For individuals, up to $11,000 for a first offense and up to $55,000 for a second or subsequent offense; and for corporations, up to $55,000 for a first offense and up to $110,000 for a second or subsequent offense.

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said retailers were being put on notice if they were selling the contraband products. “We are cracking down on the illegal sale of nicotine e-cigarettes and liquids and taking a zero-tolerance approach to those who sell them,” she said.

“NSW Health regularly conducts raids on retailers across the state to protect young people from these harmful devices. You will be caught, illegal items will be seized, and you could face prosecution, resulting in being fined or even jailed.

“The harmful impacts of vaping on young people cannot be underestimated. People think they are simply flavored water, but in reality, in many cases, they are ingesting poisonous chemicals that can cause life-threatening injuries.”

The Alcohol and Drug Foundation says around 14 percent of 12-year-olds to 17-year-olds nationwide have tried an e-cigarette, with around 32 percent of these students having used one in the past month. Around 12 percent of students reported buying an e-cigarette themselves.

May 17, 2022

Australia Mulls Higher Minimum Tobacco Age

Australia may raise the minimum age for cigarette purchases, if recommendations from the draft 2022-2030 national tobacco strategy are accepted, reports the Daily Mail.

The current minimum age to buy tobacco products is 18.

The new policy proposal comes as a national survey, conducted by the Cancer Council, revealed that most Australians would support a policy that stops retailers from selling cigarettes completely.

In a recent survey conducted by Cancer Council Victoria, 50.8 percent of participants supported a phase-out, and an overwhelming majority of 61.8 percent said it should happen within the next decade.

Australia is already home to the most expensive cigarettes in the world, with a typical 20-stick pack costing $40. The Australian government rakes in about AUD17 billion ($12.06 billion) in tobacco tax each year. The high prices are believed to have contributed to a significant illicit market for tobacco products. The illegal tobacco trade is worth about $600 million annually, according to Border Force.

In December, New Zealand banned young people from ever being allowed to buy cigarettes in a rolling scheme that aims to make the entire nation smoke-free. People aged 14 and under in 2027 will never be allowed to buy cigarettes in their lifetime under the new law.

May 6, 2022

Politicians Urged to Debate Vaping in Australia

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) is urging Australian politicians to debate vaping in the runup the country’s federal election on May 21.

According to the advocacy group, Australian politicians who recognize the public health potential of vaping will be rewarded with votes, “yet most remain too scared to promote the world’s most effective smoking cessation tool.”

“Australia’s political leaders need to pull their heads out of the sand,” said Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of CAPHRA. “Annually, over 20,000 Australian smokers die prematurely from smoking-related illnesses, and 2.3 million still smoke. Alarmingly, however, nobody wants to seriously fix successive governments’ failure to reduce tobacco harm.”

Australia is the only Western democracy that requires a nicotine prescription to vape. Further, its Department of Health’s Draft National Smoking Strategy 2022–2030 proposes additional measures to prevent smokers from switching to safer nicotine products.

Loucas suspects that tobacco tax revenues are one of the reasons that vaping has been buried in the election debate. Ongoing increases to tobacco excise have made it the fourth-largest individual tax collected by Australia’s federal government at an estimated $15 billion per financial year, according to CAPHRA.

The group notes that nearly 70 countries have adopted regulatory frameworks on safer nicotine products. All of them have reported a dramatic decline in smoking prevalence since.

“Australia is light-years behind the U.S., U.K. and New Zealand, with some key Asian countries now looking to lift their failed vaping bans. If campaigning Australian politicians really want to save lives this election, well here is their best opportunity by simply a stroke of the pen,” said Loucas.

April 7, 2022

Australia Urged to Include Vaping in Smoking Strategy

Australia is lagging well behind many other countries in the Asia-Pacific region when it comes to successfully tackling smoking through vaping, says the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA).

The CAPHRA’s observation comes as Australia’s Department of Health seeks feedback on its Draft National Smoking Strategy 2022–2030, with public submissions closing on March 24.

“We encourage vapers and supporters of a progressive tobacco harm reduction (THR) approach to have their say. Australians desperate to quit smoking and those keen to stay off deadly cigarettes need all the help they can get,” says Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of the CAPHRA.

On Oct. 1, 2021, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration expanded its prescription-only model with customs clamping down at the border on personal imports of nicotine vaping liquids from overseas websites.

Not only does Australia’s draft strategy ignore the potential of safer nicotine products, it also lacks ambition, according to Loucas. The strategy aims for a smoking rate of 10 percent or less by 2025 while New Zealand is pursuing a 5 percent smoke-free goal and looks on target to achieve it. “Instead of banning vaping, New Zealand has regulated it, making it tough for minors to access but available to all adults keen to keep off the cancer sticks. New Zealand is seeing its overall smoking rate tumble, yet the Australian government fails to accept that the most effective smoking cessation tool available is staring it in the face,” says Loucas.

“Australia is well down the world rankings when it comes to adopting effective THR policies and is light-years behind the U.S. and U.K. Subsequently, Australia’s overall smoking rate has fallen very little over the past decade, and without reasonable access to vaping, Australia will struggle to even achieve its 10 percent smoking goal,” says Loucas.

March 11, 2022

Cigarette Smuggling up Dramatically in Australia

The Australian Border Force (ABF) has detected a significant increase in attempted illicit tobacco imports at the Australian border, according to the Border Security Report.

The ABF discovered 878.8 tons of undeclared loose-leaf tobacco and 712.7 million undeclared cigarette sticks between Jan. 1, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2021. This is a 45 percent increase compared to 2020.

The majority of the illicit tobacco is coming from the Middle East and Asian regions. Illicit imports are either held for further investigation or incinerated.

“Our detection numbers show we are very alert to the different methods and patterns of concealment used in illicit tobacco importations at our borders,” said Susan Drennan, commander of the agency’s Trade and Travel Operations East division. “Our message to those who think they can import such large amounts of illicit tobacco and get away with it is to think again.”

Illicit tobacco imports that are linked to serious and organized crime syndicates are referred to the Illicit Tobacco Taskforce (ITTF). The ITTF combines the operational, investigative and intelligence capabilities of the ABF, the Australian Taxation Office, the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, AUSTRAC and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

“Organized crime groups capitalize on unwitting smokers looking for cheap cigarettes to enrich themselves and to fund other types of criminal activities that harm our community,” said Greg Linsdell, commander of the ABF Special Investigations division. “The ABF is working tirelessly to stop this activity both at our border and within Australia through comprehensive and powerful ITTF investigative actions.”

February 22, 2022

Tag: Australia