AMA Submission to the Therapeutic Goods Administration – interim decision on amendments to the Poisons Standard – nicotine

The AMA’s priority is to reduce smoking and vaping use in Australia. There is not enough evidence that nicotine-containing vaping products are successful smoking cessation aids and there are serious concerns around their potential to cause harm. However, the AMA accepts the decision to make nicotine Schedule 4 for all human use on the basis that it closes a current loophole and further restricts access to nicotine-containing vaping products. The TGA will need to provide additional guidance to the medical profession well before the implementation date to ensure doctors are prepared for an influx of patients, and the TGA Access Pathway proposal should be tightened to offer better protections for the medical profession.