AMA calls for stronger nicotine vaping product regulation

As the take-up of vaping grows the AMA President Professor Steve Robson has written to the Federal Health Minister urging changes to legislation.

The letter to Minister for Health and Aged Care the Hon. Mark Butler MP was sent earlier this week and addressed serious issues with the current Nicotine Vaping Products (NVP) regulations.

In the letter Professor Robson outlined the health risks associated with vaping, which is increasing among adolescents and young adults and is a gateway to cigarette smoking. Vaping can also cause harmful effects such as seizures, nicotine poisoning and E-cigarette Associated Lung Injury.

Professor Robson said the long-term health impacts are not yet known and said legislation enacted on 1 October last year needed to be made stronger.

The legislation meant NVPs became prescription only at a federal level, which closed a loophole allowing Australians to purchase NVPs from overseas without a prescription, but Professor Robson said in his correspondence to the minister that the legislation was “alarmingly weak” on key issues.

Professor Robson said to begin addressing these issues the AMA recommended the government implement the following five changes:

1. Reduce the concentration limit allowed under Therapeutic Goods Order 110 from 100mg/ml to 20mg/ml, and introduce limits on the flavours and volume of nicotine that can be prescribed or ordered,
2. Ban the importation of NVPs through the Personal Importation Scheme,
3. Work with State and Territory Governments to add NVPs to Real Time Prescription Monitoring programs to reduce the risk of doctor shopping,
4. Amend MBS telehealth smoking cessation items so that only a patient’s usual doctor may prescribe NVPs as a smoking cessation tool.
5. Work with State and Territory governments to deal with this issue more consistently and strategically, including better enforcement of e-cigarette laws to prevent the illegal sale of these products, especially to young people.