Tobacco stores opening in suburban Gold Coast locations as schools battle vaping crisis

New tobacco shops are popping up in locations across the Gold Coast, some near schools, despite worries over children vaping. Here’s what could be done.

One point appears to have been missed in the ongoing debate about vapes, and their use in schools on the Gold Coast.

Nobody, at this stage, is in any doubt about the scale of the problem. Whether public or private, there must be no teacher at high school level who has at this stage not encountered the miserable little devices, clutched in the hands of a blurry-eyed student.

Nobody, too, should be in any doubt about the dangers these devices can contain.

The state government on Saturday revealed that tests on popular vapes had shown “staggering” amounts of nicotine plus chemicals including arsenic and formaldehyde.

Of 17 samples tested, all 17 tested positive for nicotine, arsenic, zinc and Volatile Organic Compounds typically used in the manufacture of paints, pharmaceuticals and refrigerants.

“Frankly, these results are confronting,” Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said.

“We know vapes are becoming more popular, especially with younger people, and these results make it clear that what is inside them is extremely dangerous.”

Flavours tested included Strawberry Watermelon Ice, Cherry Ice, Summer Breeze and Apple Surge.

Vapes are readily available across the Gold Coast.

The federal government has also expressed its concern, announcing plans to ensure vapes - whether they are said to contain nicotine or not - can only be purchased with a prescription at pharmacies.

It is unclear when any such laws will come into effect. They seem quite some time away.

What is missing in the debate to date, however, is serious discussion about the mushrooming of vape and tobacco shops in our suburbs, which are often located close to schools.

As Coomera MP Michael Crandon noted: “We have seen an explosion of tobacconists popping up in the northern Gold Coast, the fastest growing region in Queensland, which has the largest youth population.”

There are strict laws which state that vapes, even those said not to contain nicotine, cannot be sold to people under 18 years of age.

But a number of studies suggest that locating tobacco shops near schools can have a negative effect.

A New Zealand study of high school students in 2015 found “current smokers were significantly more likely to attempt to purchase tobacco if the density of tobacco retail outlets around their school was high”, while “non-smoking students were more likely to be susceptible to smoking if the density of tobacco outlets around their school was high.”

The study concluded that “restricting the permitted density of tobacco retail outlets around schools should be part of comprehensive tobacco control.”

Yet on the Gold Coast, the opposite is happening, with ever more tobacco stores popping up in our suburbs.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman. Picture: David Clark.

This column is aware of a premises currently being fitted out to be a tobacco shop right across the road from a school in the north of the city.

It’s a well-run school and a great community, so it’s unlikely there will be any direct impacts.

But one suspects that teachers and parents alike will still be unimpressed.

It’s not just a Queensland problem, or a particularly new one. A study by NSW Health in 2015 found there were more tobacco shops around schools than in other areas.

There appears little, however, that anyone can do. To the best of this columnist’s knowledge, there is no law to stop the opening of tobacco and vape shops near schools.

That’s not the case everywhere. A number of cities in the United States have introduced local laws to prevent tobacco stores doing just that.

Amid the furore over vaping among students, the prospect of similar measures here should be part of the debate.

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