Overly restrictive vaping regulation could mean people keep smoking, says a group of Aussie experts

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Taking an overly restrictive approach to vaping regulation is likely to perpetuate both illegal vaping sales and tobacco smoking, and have an overall profoundly negative effect on population health, according to a comment piece by Australian experts. The authors say regulation should find the optimal balance between facilitating legal access for adult smokers and restricting access by young people. They believe the preferred approach is to have nicotine vaping products sold by licenced retail outlets with strict age-of-sale verification. They say that if in order to protect young people, regulations become overly restrictive to the point where they reduce the access, effectiveness and appeal of vaping for adult smokers then these regulations are likely to perpetuate both illegal vaping product sales and tobacco smoking.

Journal/conference: Drug and Alcohol Review

Link to research (DOI): 10.1111/dar.13663

Organisation/s: The University of Queensland, St Vincent's Hospital Sydney

Funder: CONFLICT OF INTEREST Dr Colin Mendelsohn was a Board Member of the Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association (ATHRA), a registered health promotion charity, from October 2017 to January 2020 and Dr Alex Wodak is a Board Member of ATHRA. ATHRA accepted unconditional seed funding from the vape retail industry to get established. Funding ceased in March 2019. Drs Colin Mendelsohn and Alex Wodak were Directors of ATHRA in March 2018 when it received a donation from Knowledge Action Change Communications, a private sector public health agency in the UK. The donation was sourced from a surplus arising from the Global Forum on Nicotine conference in May 2017. Knowledge Action Change Communications is legally separate from Knowledge Action Change (KAC). KAC has received two grants from tobacco companies: (i) In 2012, KAC received a small development research grant from Nicoventures (owned at the time by British American Tobacco) for evaluating the use of a nicotine delivery device in Scottish Prisons. The study was conducted in conjunction with the Scottish Prison Service. This funding was publicly declared. (ii) In 2018, The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World provided a grant specifically for the preparation of The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction report, an international review of tobacco harm reduction and the regulations involved. The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World is funded by an annual grant from Philip Morris International. Under the Foundation’s bylaws and pledge agreement, Philip Morris International and the tobacco industry are precluded from having any influence over how the Foundation spends its funds or focuses its activities. Dr Colin Mendelsohn is the author of Stop Smoking Start Vaping, published by Aurora Press. He has never received payments from electronic cigarette or tobacco companies. Dr Alex Wodak has never received payments from electronic cigarette or tobacco companies. Professors Wayne Hall has no interests to declare.

Media release

From: The University of Queensland

Call to reconsider nicotine vaping regulations in Australia

Selling nicotine vaping products in licenced shops with a strict age verification process will restrict youth access and help adult smokers quit, a University of Queensland drug expert has recommended.

Emeritus Professor Wayne Hall from UQ’s National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research said current nicotine vaping regulations are ineffective, a view acknowledged by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

“In Australia, nicotine vaping products can only legally be prescribed by a doctor and sold in pharmacies to adults who want to quit smoking,” Emeritus Professor Hall said.

“Instead, we have seen the development of a thriving black market which sells unregulated vape products to children and adults, with very few adult vapers using the legal prescription pathway.”

Emeritus Professor Hall recommends the industry adopts an age-restricted consumer model.

“The black market would become less profitable and illicit sales would diminish over time, being largely replaced by a legal, regulated market.”

The National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2019 found vaping is the most popular aid for quitting and reducing smoking in Australia, and research has found it to be more effective than nicotine replacement therapy.

“It is uncommon for people to take up vaping if they have never smoked before,” Emeritus Professor Hall said.

“Rather than it being a gateway product, evidence suggests nicotine vapes divert young people from smoking.”

Professor Hall said policymakers need to find a balance between providing adult smokers with easy access to nicotine vaping products and restricting access to youth.

“The main objective is to reduce smoking-related death and disease,” Professor Hall said.

“Neither vaping nor nicotine replacement therapy are risk-free, but vaping is a substantially less harmful alternative for adult smokers.

“Policymakers need to consider the harmful, unintended consequences of excessive regulation.”

The full commentary is published in Drug and Alcohol Review in collaboration with Dr Colin Mendelsohn from General Practice Sydney and Dr Alex Wodak Emeritus Director at Alcohol and Drug Services at St Vincent’s’ Hospital.

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