New vaping laws not expected to lead to millions of GP visits
Reports this week suggesting ‘hundreds of thousands’ of GP visits for prescription vapes are an overestimation, but GPs need support to help nicotine-addicted patients.
Newspapers this week suggested an alarming number of patients were likely to inundate GPs seeking prescription vapes following the government’s crackdown on illegal vapes.
The reports were based on an October 2023 regulatory impact analysis on proposed reforms to the regulation of vapes, that examined different policy proposals. Crucially, this report supported the changes that are currently underway.
While the report says modelling had estimated that 450,000 additional consumers may seek a prescription under the proposed changes, it notes “the number of consumers is expected to decline over time as consumers respond to public health messaging and advice from medical practitioners regarding the danger of vaping”.
AMA Vice President Dr Danielle McMullen told media this week that GPs are ready to help nicotine-addicted patients, with a range of options available for treatment.
Dr McMullen told Channel 10’s The Project that as a GP while she’s “well aware of the pressures facing our sector” such as costs of living and affordable healthcare, “dealing with substance use is the bread and butter of general practice, and your doctor is there ready to talk to you about the options available”.
“For some people, that will be a prescribed vaping product. But for others, we've got other nicotine replacement solutions.”
“There's counselling. And the government has also committed to extra funding to support places like Quitline and other quit smoking type apps to help people who've been vaping reduce their vape use and come off of those vapes. And that will work in conjunction with seeing your GP and talking through the options that are available, one of which is a prescribed vape.”
The AMA is working with the Department of Health and Aged Care on the changes and was also consulted by the RACGP on the development of new guidelines to ensure GPs have all the information they need to treat patients seeking to help stop both cigarette smoking and vaping. The new guidelines will be available soon.
