The vape industry must be outlawed, for our kids’ sake

The most vulnerable cohort of our nation are blatantly targeted. Where’s the champagne flavoured vape? The Scotch whisky one? Crickets, of course. The industry knows what it’s doing.

The most vulnerable cohort of our nation are blatantly targeted by the vaping industry. Picture: istock

The horror, the horror, of where we are with vaping and the glary deadening shops by our schools and transport hubs populated by the nation’s young. A mother of one beautiful young man told me recently she’s now trying to get her boy hooked onto cigarettes, of all things, because she believes they’d be better than the vapes he’s now hopelessly addicted to. Because at least she knows what’s in the darts, but she’s got no idea what’s lurking in those colourful plastic cartridges of evil with their bubblegum names and flavours.

It is arsenic, possibly. Lead. Or the lovely propylene glycol, an additive used in paint thinner and antifreeze. It’s all been found in vapes, alongside nicotine, even when they proclaim “No nicotine” on the label. All of these things are harmful, of course, but would the manufacturers in China care? I don’t think so. Meanwhile the youngest, most vulnerable cohort of our nation are blatantly targeted, their brains being held hostage by the craving. Where’s the champagne flavoured vape? The Scotch whisky one? Crickets, of course. The industry knows what it’s doing.

China itself has effectively cracked down, saving a vast swathe of its nation’s young from nicotine addiction and tobacco-related cancer deaths. The Chinese government has banned the sale of flavoured e-cigarettes locally. It means the vapes with their yummy sounding, fruity flavours can’t be sold on the domestic market, yet Chinese manufacturers are free to flood overseas markets with their evil. Like ours. Which they do. Still. Illegally.

On the ground here, it all feels so blatant, so obvious. Kids are the targets and the vape world is winning. Parents like the aforementioned mother ply their addicted children with information about long-term damage to the brain and the lungs. Doctors are now reporting that the lung tissue in some young vapers resembles that of victims of chemical warfare – the chemical burns in their lungs look similar to the type inflicted by mustard gas in WWI. In some vapes, there’s as much nicotine as in an entire packet of cigarettes.

Meanwhile, even as politicians vow a crackdown, we see a plethora of new vape shops opening up close to schools. A recent study showed that nine in ten vape stores are located within walking distance of a school, luring the kids in with their glary lighting and prominent lollies and drinks. It feels obscene. Enraging. State governments are shouting their crackdowns, but are we seeing fewer shops? Are fines big enough? Is anyone going to jail over this? Meanwhile, the parents despair. Kids pass vapes on to other kids via the sleeves of their hoodies. Cars are delivering to homes.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler says the market is increasingly being controlled by organised crime – because it’s so lucrative. He hopes federal legislation, wiping out the industry, will be passed towards the middle of the year. It can’t come soon enough. Butler says the tobacco lobby treads the halls of parliament, but he doesn’t give its acolytes the time of day. He told ABC radio: “This is a cynical, duplicitous exercise by the tobacco industry to undo all the work highlighting the risk of tobacco smoking.” And that industry must be licking its lips – plan Trojan Horse has worked, beautifully, right around the world. A generation hooked. All those future addicts to fill their coffers. What a business to work in.

So, is your federal member going to support the anti-vaping legislation? Do ask. And if not, ask if they’ve been in contact with a tobacco industry lobbyist anytime recently. Because of course, those succubuses on the nation’s health do not want this scourge stamped out. Will your member be strong enough to withstand the sweet whisperings of the tobacco lobby? Let’s hope so. For our childrens’ sake.