The recently released NHMRC statement sadly contains multiple false claims about vaping, including that it is not an effective quit-smoking tool, and also that it is actually a gateway 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 Co-ordinator of CAPHRA (Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates).
Sadly adds Loucas, the claims in the document can be easily debunked. “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.”
She explained that tobacco harm reduction experts all over the country were hoping that the new government would finally take a progressive stance. “We held huge hope that the new Labor Government might take a more progressive approach to safer nicotine products. The previous Liberal Government spent nearly a decade making it harder for Australian smokers to quit by effectively banning the best smoking cessation tool. Sadly, it appears nothing is going to change, meaning Australia’s stubborn smoking rate won’t be budging anytime soon.”
Stop Smoking Start Vaping: The Healthy Truth About Vaping
Meanwhile, renowned Australian GP and anti-smoking researcher, Dr. Colin Mendelsohn, has recently reiterated that given the relative safety of vapes, switching from smoking to vaping is the most effective way to quit smoking.
Mendelsohn even wrote a book on the topic: Stop Smoking Start Vaping: The Healthy Truth About Vaping, and is also taking up the matter with caner councils in Australia. “In its 2021 report, the UK Royal College of Physicians concluded ‘e-cigarettes are an effective treatment for tobacco dependency and their use should be included and encouraged in all treatment pathways’. And this is something all Australian cancer councils should consider,” he said.
“Vaping is available at a time when, worldwide, there have been 100 million smoking-related deaths over the last 15 years. “Switching from smoking to vaping dramatically reduces your risk of cancer. The cancer risk from vaping nicotine has been estimated to be more than 200 times less than the cancer risk from smoking,” added Mendelsohn.
Australia: Confusion Regarding New Vape Laws Amongst Retailers
