Implement new tobacco laws immediately

Queensland’s proposed new tobacco controls must be fast-tracked to protect a new generation from the dangers of vaping, AMA Queensland President Dr Maria Boulton said today.

AMA Queensland has released its submission to the parliamentary inquiry into the Tobacco and Other Smoking Products Amendment Bill 2023.

It commends the Queensland government for taking action to tighten regulation around tobacco products, including liquid nicotine used in e-cigarettes, but calls for the laws to be implemented as soon as possible.

“Vaping is emerging as a real health threat to young Queenslanders, particularly those who would never consider smoking a tobacco cigarette,” Dr Boulton said.

“The Queensland Chief Health Officer’s latest report shows e-cigarette use has increased 40 per cent over the past four years, and almost 15 per cent of 18-to 29-year-olds in Queensland currently vape.

“Smoking is the No.1 risk factor contributing to preventable death and disease in Queensland, and doctors see the devastating effects of lung disease on patients, their families and loved ones every day.

“Queensland and Australia have been world leaders in tackling the scourge of smoking for decades.

“But vaping is creating a new generation of victims among children and young people. Vapes are cheap, easy to obtain and clearly targeted at our kids, with bright packaging and sweet flavourings. Vapes also normalise smoking by making it look and smell attractive.

“We welcome the amendment to the draft laws to prevent people under the age of 18 from handling or selling tobacco products but note this is not proposed to come into effect until September next year for large retailers and September 2025 for small businesses.

“These are good reforms, but may be too late, given the potential for smoking to be normalised for children involved in the sale of tobacco products.

“We have seen no justification for delaying these provisions and are calling for them to commence within six months of this legislation passing parliament.

“Alarmingly, this Bill includes an exemption for children working in pharmacies. There is absolutely no justification for this amendment, which would completely undermine the object of the proposed laws – to improve the health of members of the public by reducing their exposure to tobacco and other smoking products.

“We call on Queensland Health to publicly release the reasons this amendment has been included and the parties that have advocated for its inclusion.”

Read the submission on AMA Queensland’s website.

Background

• In 2022, 19.7 per cent of Queensland adults had tried an e-cigarette in their lifetime—five per cent were currently vaping (any regular or intermittent use of e-cigarettes in the past 12 months)and 1.9 per cent were vaping daily
• Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic.
• Emerging data suggests links between vaping and chronic lung disease and asthma.
• In 2015, the US Surgeon General reported that e-cigarette use among high school students had increased by 900 per cent, and 40 per cent of young e-cigarette users had never smoked regular tobacco.
• Between 2016 and 2019, the proportion of people who had ever used e-cigarettes rose from 8.8 per cent to 11.3 per cent [Source: 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey].
• Nearly two in three (64 per cent) of current smokers and one in five (20 per cent) of non-smokers aged 18-24 years reported having tried vaping.
• About 2.6 per cent of Australian adults report current vaping – more than double the figure (1.2 per cent) from three years earlier