Vaping reforms a huge step for Australia

Transcript: AMA Queensland President, Dr Nick Yim, ABC Brisbane, Mornings with Cathie Schnitzerling, Tuesday 25 June 2024

Subject: Vaping reform

CATHIE SCHNITZERLING: So, vapes being sold only through pharmacies with prescription and then later without prescription if you're over 18, is it good or bad for public health? Dr Nick Yim is the Queensland President of the Australian Medical Association. Welcome Dr Yim.

DR NICK YIM: Good morning, Cathie.

CATHIE SCHNITZERLING: What does the AMA think about the amendments that are going through, the changes in July and then in October? What do you think about pharmacies only being the place where you can legally access vapes?

DR NICK YIM: We definitely do support these laws being passed. We are seeing in Australia a big, big increase in the use of vapes, especially in the 14- to 25-year-old age group. And we have to remember going back, what was the reason for the introduction of vapes? It was from Big Tobacco to get a new generation addicted to their products. It was never designed to be a therapeutic good to help smoking cessation.

CATHIE SCHNITZERLING: Why will there be a change in October so a prescription is not required for adults to get vapes at pharmacies?

DR NICK YIM: Ideally from an AMA perspective, we would have liked a conversation for individuals, if they do want to quit vaping or quit cigarette smoking, to have that conversation with their GP or their pharmacist. Because there are many strategies available. It's not just about vapes. Vaping is not first line, it's not second line, it's not even third line treatment to quit smoking.

CATHIE SCHNITZERLING: You say that it's not therapeutic. And there are other public health academics as well who say that chemists will now become Vape Central. We've just heard from a caller who said that he was a pack-a-day smoker, and he has been able to diminish his intake of tobacco and nicotine using vapes. But you say that its way down the line in terms of what can be used to break addiction.

DR NICK YIM: Absolutely. It is that conversation, it is that education piece. Currently on the market, we do have many regulated therapeutic products available. That includes nicotine patches, lozenges, inhalers, even some tablet forms of medication to help smoking cessation. Down the track, vapes may be an option, but that requires that discussion with their general practitioner.<

CATHIE SCHNITZERLING: Do you think those discussions will now happen with the pharmacist, given that people will be going to a pharmacy to buy their vapes, which will be sold from under the counter, plain packaging, just like cigarettes, which just seems so counterintuitive to me. But will the pharmacy pharmacists be having those conversations?

DR NICK YIM: I think that's the key talking point here. I think it is really important. It is beneficial for individuals, if they are presenting to the pharmacy, to have had that conversation already is something where that can create those options, where maybe people aren't aware of the different options to quit smoking, to quit vaping. Because what we're seeing is a lot of new people take up vaping who would have never taken up cigarette smoking.

CATHIE SCHNITZERLING: If vapes are only sold in pharmacies, will it give them a halo effect that they're somehow healthy?

DR NICK YIM: That's the time will tell approach. One of the key things is we do know that if vape products are sold just in pharmacies, it will create that discussion with the healthcare professional and that is that pharmacist.

CATHIE SCHNITZERLING: What difference does it make to adults that the flavours are limited to menthol, mint and tobacco if it's the nicotine that's addictive?

DR NICK YIM: The key thing to remember is the promotion of the vape products initially from Big Tobacco was actually directly advertising to our young adults. I have spoken to school teachers, principals, and many, young people are smoking the bubble gum-flavoured, the strawberry-flavoured, the raspberry-flavoured, and that's the reason for that limitation of flavours.

CATHIE SCHNITZERLING: Because our previous caller said, the flavours are terrible, but they have flavour bursts in cigarettes, why not in vapes as well? Anyway, apart from that, are doctors worried that the black market in vapes will get bigger as a result of this restriction, which it is.

DR NICK YIM: We know that many people are already accessing vapes currently, but I think this is a great stance from the Australian government. Australia needs to lead. This is a public health issue. We already know that young people are addicted to vapes. We already know that there are vaping-associated lung injuries. So this is a really good opportunity for Australia to lead and to show countries around the world what we can do, and to prevent the next issues with vaping.

CATHIE SCHNITZERLING: And do you think it will help prevent children from having access to vapes, even though under 18-year-olds can access vapes with a prescription?

DR NICK YIM: This is going to be a time will tell approach. If under-18s are accessing it via prescriptions, that's great because they have had that discussion with the doctor. That's the key thing - if there are young people who are addicted, who are wanting to quit, they are having those conversations with their general practitioner.<

CATHIE SCHNITZERLING: Dr Yim, I have a question here from Annie at Hervey Bay who says, ‘how long will a vape script cover someone for? I'm wondering about the extra burden on GP clinics’.

DR NICK YIM: The most important thing is also having that relationship with that general practitioner. Vape scripts should be under the same legislation as all prescriptions, so it will be six months. But obviously it depends on quantity. So those are the conversations to have with their general practitioner. The other key thing is to remember this is not a long-term fix. We don't want people vaping for the rest of their lives. It is designed from a long-term perspective to actually eventually get off the vape products.

CATHIE SCHNITZERLING: Do you think it's going to put extra pressure on GP clinics?

DR NICK YIM: We have to remember that vaping and long-term vaping has long-term lung injuries. We have seen that with cigarette smoking. We are already seeing that with vaping. So the role of the GP is to actually improve people's health to prevent people entering hospital and needing treatment for their long-term lung injuries.<

CATHIE SCHNITZERLING: Dr Yim, thank you very much for joining us here this morning.