Education Minister Grace Grace stands by comments on dangers of vaping

Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace has stood by her comments that vaping is no bigger an issue than cigarettes ‘in her day’, even as a review finds the trend is increasing the risk of addiction, poisoning, seizures, burns and lung injury.

Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace has stood by her comments that vaping is no bigger an issue than cigarettes “in her day”, as a review finds the alarming trend was causing dire health risks for young people.

E-cigarettes have been labelled a “public health crisis” in a major three-year analysis, which found that vaping was increasing the risk of addiction, poisoning, seizures, burns and lung injury.

The review, undertaken by experts from the Australian National University on behalf of the federal government, also reported early signs of adverse impacts on vapers’ cardiovascular health including blood pressure, heart rate and lung functioning caused by e-cigarette use.

Minister for Education Grace Grace during question time at Parliament House. NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

Earlier this year, The Courier-Mail reported on a vaping “epidemic” infiltrating schools, with kids as young as 10 being caught with e-cigarettes in Queensland classrooms and toilets.

At the time, Ms Grace claimed vaping was “no bigger issue” in the schoolyard than cigarette smoking when she was at school.

“Obviously, vaping is a concern, but it’s no bigger an issue than kids bringing cigarettes to school in my day – it’s not a bigger issue than that,” she said.

A spokesman from the Minister’s office told The Courier-Mail on Wednesday that she stood by her comments. The spokesman said Ms Grace went to school in the “1960s and ’70s”.

Lead review author Professor Emily Banks said evidence showed young nonsmokers who vaped were three times as likely to take up smoking than non-vapers, with adolescent nicotine use triggering lifelong addictions, as well as concentration and learning difficulties.

“The bottom line is e-cigarettes do have harms and they are particularly harmful to nonsmokers and to young people,” Professor Banks said.

“We found there was evidence that they cause addiction, seizures, poisoning, lung injury, and trauma and burns. They also increase the uptake of smoking in young people.”

Despite her comments, Ms Grace said there was a zero-tolerance policy on smoking in Queensland schools.

“In January, I had no tolerance for smoking in Queensland schools – e-cigarettes or otherwise – and I still have no tolerance,” Ms Grace said.

“Smoking, including e-cigarettes, is banned at all state and non-state schools in Queensland. There is zero tolerance.”

The government report found that more than two million Australians had used e-cigarettes, which contain up to 243 different chemicals.

“Although they’re being promoted for smoking cessation, a lot of the use is in young people, particularly in children and adolescents,” Professor Banks said. “We’re seeing these small devices having the equivalent nicotine of more than 10 packets of cigarettes in them, and they are all sorts of flavours that are really targeting children, like bubblegum, fairy floss, strawberries and cream.”