The vaping crisis has hit peak and Ann Wason Moore explains how your kids are getting their hands on them

Vaping is a “public health crisis”? But if it’s so drastic, how are kids are getting their hands on them? The answer is right in the palm of your hand.

It looks so innocent.

Type a certain simple search phrase into Facebook Marketplace and dozens upon dozens of posts pop up.

With rainbow-hued images of fresh fruit, it’s easy to think the popularity of this item perhaps relates to the spiralling prices in supermarkets.

And, to be sure, this is a black market.

But it’s nothing to do with wholesome produce … instead, this is the world of illicit vapes.

And it delivers directly to your child.

Imported from China with packaging that omits to mention of the dangerously high levels of nicotine contained within (all the better to sneak across our borders), these fruit-flavoured vapes are selling for just $25 on social media, with delivery often included.

While our laws state that it’s illegal to sell vapes to anyone under the age of 18 and only to those over that age if they have a prescription from their doctor, the reality is very different.

And although Queensland police have been cracking down on shops like tobacconists which have been selling black market vapes under the counter, it seems our own children are way ahead of cops when it comes to sourcing a steady supply.

It begs the question that if I know where these vapes can be found, and the kids know where these vapes can be found … why aren’t police busting the dealers?

Because the bad news is that this vape crisis is only just beginning.

In April, vaping was declared a “public health crisis” after a government-sponsored review conducted by the Australian National University.

More than 400,000 Australians are now vaping, and the number of young Australians who’ve taken it up has doubled over the past year.

It’s clear that e-cigarettes, once proudly touted as a method to give up traditional smoking, are instead creating a whole new generation addicted to nicotine.

Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath and Minister for Police Mark Ryan. Picture: Peter Wallis

Indeed the nicotine levels in some vapes have been found to be higher than in traditional cigarettes. And a NSW Health study has found that 70 per cent of vapes contained high levels of nicotine – even though the labels do not mention nicotine as an ingredient.

The lack of transparency around ingredients is at the heart of how damaging vaping can be. The same toxic and cancer-causing chemicals found in regular cigarettes are being found in vapes.

“This includes the highly addictive chemical nicotine, heavy metals, ultrafine particles, volatile organic compounds and some flavouring chemicals that can be harmful to health,” states a Queensland Department of Health guide.

Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Australian National University Emily Banks says vaping is especially harmful to young people.

"They cause addiction. They can cause poisoning and toxicity through inhalation, which can lead to seizures, trauma and burns, lung injury," she told ABC’s Four Corners program.

“When we’re talking about addiction in children, e-cigarettes may actually be more dangerous than smoking because they’re much easier to access, they’re much more discreet, you can hide them, and they also have these multiple flavours so they’re much more appealing to children, and they’re marketed to children.”

It’s the very reason that Minister for Police Mark Ryan and Health Minister Yvette D’Ath joined Queensland Police this week to launch an awareness campaign educating school-aged children about the health implications of vaping, while Queensland Health last week launched the Vape Truths website featuring Dr Karl Kruszelnicki.

Here on the Gold Coast, we’re lucky enough that our very schools are brave enough to tackle this issue head-on.

On Monday evening from 5.30pm, Miami State High School and Pacific Pines State High Schools will co-host a forum featuring students, councillors, state MPs, Queensland’s P&C CEO and health experts to discuss the vaping crisis and source solutions. It will be MCed by yours truly.

Readers can watch the livestream via either school’s Facebook page.

In this battle for the health of our children, parents must be educated as to just what is happening. It’s time to realise there is nothing harmless or innocent about vaping.

That false reputation is completely up in smoke.