Vapes not just a cheeky puff

“A public health crisis is rapidly unfolding before our eyes."

Vapes not just a cheeky puff.

“A public health crisis is rapidly unfolding before our eyes."

It was supposed to be the big challenger to cigarettes. Even an evolution. Vaping wasn’t exactly a healthy choice but we were definitely fed a line about the benefits versus a pack of Marlboros. 

The UK’s main government health body Public Health England is a big fan.  Its studies have concluded  vaping causes about 95% less damage, according to an article in New Scientist last month. In the UK smokers are actually advised to switch to e-cigarettes to help them quit.

Australian health authorities certainly take a much dimmer view  and now a seminal piece of research out of the Australian National University (ANU) has found not only is vapingshockingly harmful but those who vape are vastly more likely to take up smoking than those who don’t.

E-cigarette use has skyrocketed in Australia - one in five people aged 18-24 has tried vaping (and probably a handful more who are afraid to admit it).

The ANU research found those who smoke the pineapple pen handed around at the pub are three times more likely to to take up traditional cigarette smoking. And yes, it’s still an unhealthy and even dangerous pursuit. 

“Vapes deliver hundreds of chemicals – some of them known to be toxic and many others with unknown effects,” ANU epidemiologist Emily Banks, who conducted the research, said.

“In Australia, over two million people have used e-cigarettes. Use is more common among youth, particularly young males, and among smokers, and the majority is not for the purposes of smoking cessation.”

Vapes that contain nicotine are illegal in Australia unless you’ve got a prescription. Non-nicotine vapes? They’re fair game at the moment ... but that may change.

The ANU report was commissioned by the government to inform its National Tobacco Strategy 2022-2030, which intends to restrict “the marketing, availability and use of all e-cigarette components in Australia, regardless of their nicotine content”.

Cancer Council public health committee chair Anita Dessaix told The Australian there was growing concern about e-cigarette use, especially among children. 

“A public health crisis is rapidly unfolding before our eyes,” she said.

“These findings send a clear message to all governments: act now. Do more to protect the community, especially young people, from the harms of e-cigarettes.”