Gold Coast tobacco stores seen selling vapes to students

High school students have been seen openly buying vapes at certain Gold Coast stores despite warnings that nicotine products can “harm the brains” of young people.

A NUMBER of tobacco stores across the Gold Coast are selling vapes to high school students, undermining attempts by schools to stamp out their use on campuses.

Images seen by the Bulletin show students entering the stores, making purchases and leaving with what appear to be vaping products.

This newspaper has chosen not to publish those images to protect the privacy of the young people involved.

The Bulletin has also received multiple reports from concerned members of the community about young people successfully purchasing vapes in the stores.

A vape allegedly purchased at a Gold Coast tobacco store last week.

One parent revealed how a young person was able to purchase a ‘Mr Fog Max Pro’ vape from a shop raided just hours earlier by health authorities.

The vape in question is advertised as generating “about 1700 puffs each piece” and containing a “5.0ml capacity of high-grade pure flavour nicotine salt juice with a pure taste.”

Makers say the capacity of the vapes is the equivalent of 120 cigarettes.

Vapes which contain nicotine have been illegal in Australia since October 1 last year, unless issued on prescription and provided by a pharmacist or through Therapeutic Goods Administration processes.

Seven stores were last week raided by Environmental Health Officers from Queensland Health investigating the suspected sale of vapes.

The stores resumed trading normally later the same day.

Vapes have been banned in all Gold Coast schools, with students warned they could be expelled if found using them on school grounds.

Some have even resorted to restricting access to toilets to try and stamp out the use of vapes.

However most schools have focused on educating students about the potential health risks.

Education Minister Grace Grace said Queensland had “some of the toughest and most consistent regulations” in the country around the sale of vapes, while smoking, including e-cigarettes, was banned in all state and non-state schools.

“As I said in my public comments earlier this year, these are issues that require a national approach and they cannot be solved by education alone, but we will continue to do all we can through schools to address our shared concern about the impact of smoking on young people,” Ms Grace said.

Education Minister Grace Grace. Picture: Richard Walker.

Queensland Teachers’ Union Vice President Leah Olsson said parents “need to be aware” about the issues their children could face if they use vapes.

“If vaping becomes an issue for students, our members act as they always do and provide information to students and the community, including parents, related to the health impacts,” Ms Olsen said.

A 2017 Cancer Council study found around 13 per cent of students aged between 12 and 17 said they had used e-cigarettes at least once, with male students more likely to have tried vaping than female students.

Queensland Health warns nicotine in the devices can “harm developing brains”, making them especially dangerous for young people.

“Developing brains are more vulnerable to addiction, and nicotine exposure can lead to craving for more of the drug,” it advises.

“Nicotine can negatively impact mood, memory, and concentration, and may make it harder for children and young people to learn, concentrate, and control their impulses.”

Queensland Health also cautions that e-cigarettes are a poisoning risk, “especially to young children.” Last month a five-year-old boy was rushed to hospital in Geelong suffering from vomiting and coughing after accessing a vape. The child’s father said he has been struggling to breathe and vomiting since the incident took place.

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Originally published as Gold Coast tobacco stores seen selling vapes to students