Vapes worse than gateway drug to smoking

Transcript: AMA Queensland President, Dr Maria Boulton, ABC Radio Sunshine Coast, Mornings with Alex Easton, Thursday 21 March 2024

Subjects: Vaping bans

ALEX EASTON: A planned Federal Government ban on vaping looks like it might be heading for trouble with an unexpected alliance of the Greens, the Nationals, possibly the Liberals, demanding a push to regulation over prohibition. Legislation introduced this week would outlaw the manufacture, advertising, supply and commercial possession of non-therapeutic vapes, with another tranche of legislation expected to put limits on the flavours of vapes, the packaging and their nicotine content.

However, the Greens and Nationals have bucked this plan. Both parties are now pushing for the government to look at tighter rules and change its regulations around vapes rather than a ban. The Liberal leader is also questioning the idea of what they're calling prohibition.

Dr Maria Boulton is the President of the Australian Medical Association of Queensland, and she joins you now. Maria Boulton, thank you so much for joining us. You've had concerns about vapes for a while. Can you explain why they're a problem?

DR MARIA BOULTON: Good morning, Alex. It's not just me, we actually presented in front of Queensland Parliament, and we discussed the dangers of vaping together with the Cancer Council and the Lung Foundation, and we know that vapes are gateway drugs for smoking.

Children and adolescents who vape are 30 per cent more likely to pick up smoking. They can cause injuries to the mouth, the lungs, the heart. They can cause seizures, they can cause headaches, they can cause poisoning as well. So, if you ingest the liquid, and there’s been a lot of cases that have been referred to the poisons line of babies and toddlers ingesting the liquid, it can be toxic and can be lethal depending on the size of the baby and the liquid.

We’re particularly concerned that there’s so many children and adolescents that are vaping, and that’s also a concern that’s shared by many teachers and parents.  

ALEX EASTON: So, it's not simply that it's a gateway drug to cigarettes or other things. It's that just in themselves, they are dangerous.

DR MARIA BOULTON: Yes, absolutely, and they contain many dangerous substances. Things like Formaldehyde, things that we know that cause harm. They can also cause burn injuries to the lungs because of the way that that the liquid is delivered. So, it's not just the fact that it's a gateway drug. It's the fact that they're actually dangerous and harmful in themselves.

ALEX EASTON: You do often hear people going – well, you know, it's vaping. At least it's not smoking. But how do they compare to cigarettes?

DR MARIA BOULTON: Look, there's emerging evidence coming out all the time, and the issue with vapes is it's very difficult to know exactly what contents they have in them. Even the vapes that sometimes are sold as not containing nicotine have nicotine. It's a very unregulated area.

But what we do know is when there's been investigations into the substances, they always find some harmful substances. So, we know they're harmful. Sadly, we're doing so well when it comes to smoking cessation, but it seems that we're very far behind when it comes to vaping. The number of children and adolescents vaping now versus two years ago is increasing, and something must be done to stop it.

ALEX EASTON: The Greens and Nationals arguments against the legislation the Federal Government's bringing in today is based around the idea that prohibition doesn't work. That's what they're saying and they're arguing for tighter rules. The Nationals in particular are saying that they think there should be something along the lines of the same kind of rules that there are for cigarettes. Is that enough?

DR MARIA BOULTON: Look, I think we're in danger of creating another generation of people who will be addicted to something that is dangerous for them. The truth of the matter is that at the moment, whatever rules there are, children aren’t meant to be having access to vapes, but they are getting access to vapes, so something must be done. It's way too easy for them to have that access, and it's harmful, so we must do everything possible to ensure that we are protecting this next generation of kids and adolescents.

We just don't want to create another dangerous habit that will not only affect everybody's health, but also cost the economy a lot of money. There is emerging evidence that in children and adolescents, where the brain is still developing, that these substances can actually be harmful for that. So, we don't know what the long-term consequences are in changes in the brain development, but it's certainly not something that we should be taking any less seriously. We should be doing everything possible to ensure we're protecting the next generation.

ALEX EASTON: Vapes are pitched very much as an important tool for people who are trying to get off cigarettes. Is that a legitimate use for them?

DR MARIA BOULTON: I guess this is something that's come out from lobby groups who are pushing vapes. For some people it may be a smoking cessation tool, but it's not first line and it's not second line. There are better options out there to help people quit smoking that we know work better. There may be a small minority of people where it may be helpful, but they already have access to that through prescription, so that will always be there. We just need to ensure that people who do need help quitting smoking, be it by accessing the quit line or being by seeing their GPs, do have that access and that they're supported to do that when they want to.

ALEX EASTON: All right. Dr Maria Boulton, thank you so much for your time this morning.

DR MARIA BOULTON: Thank you.