![Ryan Scadden from Mixology Vape Wagga is unable to display products to the public under current regulations. Picture by Dan Holmes Ryan Scadden from Mixology Vape Wagga is unable to display products to the public under current regulations. Picture by Dan Holmes](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/200569959/28aa372a-77c9-4160-b6b6-cc843d5a9fdf.jpg/r143_0_3647_1971_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Health Minister has announced the federal government will take action to reduce the harms caused by smoking an vaping.
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In a press release, Mark Butler said the May 9 budget would include $737 million dollars for public health campaigns to discourage uptake of nicotine products, help people quit, and enforce stronger regulations on black market vape products.
Tobacco tax will also be increased by 5 per cent above indexation for 3 years, and increase taxes on loose leaf products to make their prices comparable to tailor made cigarettes.
Wagga general practitioner Rachel Glasson supports tighter regulations on nicotine products, saying the number of young people vaping should be a serious public health concern.
"The uptake among young kids is leading to more people taking up smoking than people are stopping," she said.
"My kids are always telling me about people vaping in the toilets, and it's really alarming.
"Vaping is sort of the edge of the sword, so even if smoking stays legal, if you crack down on vaping the number of kids taking it up, and taking up smoking later decreases."
The Riverina Anglican College (TRAC) principal Geoff Marsh said he had seen the vaping trend hit his school.
"Over the last ten years there's been an increase in vaping," he said.
"Although we've seen a decline this year compared with 2022.
"I think our community is more aware of the dangers of vaping, and the school is trying to be more vigilant in its management."
![Dr Rachel Glasson is concerned about the number of teens vaping. File Picture by Les Smith. Dr Rachel Glasson is concerned about the number of teens vaping. File Picture by Les Smith.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/200569959/c12126f8-ea15-490e-8f37-d1cd14225c32.jpg/r0_98_2953_1758_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
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Cohort studies in teens show one in three have tried vaping, and about one in eight vape on a regular, or social basis. Most have never tried smoking.
One of the challenges for principals like Mr Marsh is the difficulty tracking down the elusive devices, which have been found disguised as USB sticks, highlighters, and other stationary.
"The way vapes are manufactured makes it very easy for students to bring in in their case or in their pocket, and very hard for school authorities to detect,"
"Part of the issue is how available they are to young people.
"My understanding is they're easily accessible, able to be purchased online, and able to be purchased in shops within Wagga."
Group General Manager of Mixology Vape Gareth Evans says the government's proposed regulations will likely make matters worse by driving "honest operators" out of business, while failing to take care of the wider issue of black and grey market disposable vapes.
Mixology do not sell disposable vapes in Australia, which Mr Evans estimates make up about 80 per cent of the market in Australia.
"Things aren't as bad in Wagga as some other places, like Sydney - The MLHD have done a good job in that area of cleaning things up" he said
"Here [in Sydney] I could go to any convenience store and buy one if I wanted."
"So far as I'm concerned, they're environmental terrorism too - they're usually plastic, and have lithium batteries on the floor or in the bin."
Mr Evans said the legitimate side of the industry had been proactive in self regulating, and while kids often tried to get into their stores, they wouldn't sell to them, and their products were not what they're looking for anyway.
He said their products would be impossible to hide in a school setting, and are out of the price range of most teenagers even if they did sell to them.
"Kids should never be smoking or vaping. Nicotine for the teenage mind is a poor choice," he said.
While there is some evidence to suggest vaping may be less deadly than cigarettes, the relative newness of vaping in the community means it has not been subject to the same kinds of deep, long term scrutiny as cigarettes.
![The Riverina Anglican College (TRAC) Principal Geoff Marsh says while he's seen less vaping at his school, that doesn't mean it isn't happening. File picture by Madeline Begley. The Riverina Anglican College (TRAC) Principal Geoff Marsh says while he's seen less vaping at his school, that doesn't mean it isn't happening. File picture by Madeline Begley.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/200569959/ee03b941-2378-4ee2-9fa3-5b16efbbd2c6.jpg/r0_170_5472_3246_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Dr Glasson said fatal lung injuries had been observed in some vapers, after a relatively short period of use.
"Vaping will actually kill some people faster than tobacco," she said.
"E-cigarette or Vaping-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) can be fatal, even if you've only taken up vaping last year.
EVALI was first identified in the United States in 2019. Since then, there have been 68 recorded deaths from the illness, which presents like atypical pneumonia.
Mr Evans said the government's proposed regulations will not deal with either the public health issues associated with nicotine, or the issue of black and grey market sales to teens.
"I think the only group of people addicted to tobacco is the government - and that's the tobacco excise," he said.
"I believe they'll rejig these regulations again in a couple of years, because they'll realise they have no choice.
Numerous studies on the physical and social harms caused by drug use have ranked alcohol and nicotine at the top of the list - above notoriously addictive substances like ice.
Dr Glasson said her medical opinion is all nicotine products should be illegal.
"Vaping has been a con from the start. It was marketed as a way to stop people smoking, and what we've seen is the exact opposite," she said.
"I'm deeply concerned about a suggestion I've seen in the media that vapes should be regulated by cigarettes.
"There's too much money in it for the government, so I think it would take a very liberal government to crack down on tobacco overall."
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