AMA calls for greater regulation on vaping products

AMA members are concerned about the harmful effects of vaping, which include seizures, nicotine poisoning and brain development issues.

The AMA Federal Council has acted on the concern of members regarding the health risks of vaping.

At its meeting earlier this month Federal Council passed a motion demanding stronger regulatory measures to curb the proliferation of recreational non-nicotine vaping products, which include but are not limited to:

• implementing similar regulation to tobacco products, such as health warnings, better labelling, plain packaging and tobacco licences
• a targeted federal response to monitor and act on illegal advertising and promotion of vaping products, particularly online and on social media
• better enforcement of existing state and territory regulation to help block illegal vape sales both online and through shopfronts.

This motion clarifies the AMA’s position on non-nicotine vaping products and adds to the AMA’s position and ongoing advocacy on all vaping products. It will build on the AMA’s existing position on the medical model for nicotine vaping products and will be reflected in our response to the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s Consultation on the proposed reforms to the regulation of nicotine vaping products.

Non-nicotine vaping products are legally sold to people over the age of 18 in stores and online. However, many of these products do contain nicotine, misleading customers into using an addictive product. Despite current laws, it is easy for people under the age of 18 to illegally purchase both nicotine and non-nicotine vaping products.

Vaping products are clearly marketed towards children, coming in a wide variety of flavours, such as fruit, lolly and dessert flavours, and the bright and colourful packaging can resemble popular juice boxes or lollies.

Known acute health effects of vaping products include seizures, nicotine poisoning and associated brain development issues for younger people, E-cigarette or Vaping Associated Lung Injury (EVALI), burns, cough, dizziness, and nausea.

There has been an increase in vape-related calls to the Australian Poisons Information Centre, and most of these calls were about children. There is evidence that vaping triples the likelihood of taking up conventional smoking, making it a gateway to smoking.

The AMA will continue to advocate on this issue to stem the rapidly-growing uptake of using harmful vaping products.