A comprehensive review of the evidence on nicotine vaping. New report
Posted on October 23, 2023 By Colin
TODAY WE SENT A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW of the latest evidence on nicotine vaping to all Australian federal, state and territory Members of Parliament. We hope the review will help to support evidence-based policymaking.
The fully referenced document (available here) outlines the health effects of vaping, its potential as a quitting aid, the challenge of youth vaping and why Australia’s prescription-only regulatory model has failed. It also addresses the key myths on vaping.
Most importantly, it provides evidence-based advice to policymakers on how to regulate vaping for the best public health outcomes
Video on the review. Summary of key points (4 mins)
The review was prepared by four leading Australian smoking, addiction and harm reduction experts:
Dr Colin Mendelsohn
Dr Alex Wodak AM
Emeritus Professor Wayne Hall AM, FASSA. FAHMS and
Professor Ron Borland FASSA.
Together, the authors have published nearly 1,650 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and books. None of the authors has ever received funding from e-cigarette or tobacco companies.
Executive summary
Health effects
- Vaping is far less harmful than smoking
- Vapour contains only a small fraction of the chemicals in tobacco smoke and in much lower doses
- It is highly likely that the long-term risks of vaping will be considerably less than those of smoking
- There is currently no evidence that vaping is harmful to bystanders
Potential as a quitting aid
- Vaping is at least as effective as any other quitting method
- Vaping is the most popular method for quitting smoking
- As a result of its effectiveness and popularity, vaping is contributing to the accelerated decline in smoking in many countries where it is readily available
Youth vaping
- Most vaping by young never-smokers is experimental and short-term. Regular vaping is uncommon
- Youth vaping carries relatively minor health risks
- The association between vaping and smoking is most likely due to shared vulnerability
- The net effect of youth vaping at a population level is to displace smoking
Nicotine and dependence
- The evidence to date suggests vaping is less dependence-forming than smoking
- Nicotine is a relatively benign drug in the doses used in vaping
The current regulatory model has failed
- Australia’s prescription-only regulatory model of vaping has produced a thriving black market controlled by criminal networks in which unregulated vaping products are sold freely to youth
Our conclusion
- Vaping is a safer alternative for adult smokers who are otherwise unable to quit smoking
- The current regulatory model is failing to prevent youth vaping
Based on the above we believe the best way forward is:
- Low concentrations of nicotine should be classified as a consumer product
- A tightly regulated consumer model with nicotine vapes sold as adult consumer products by licensed retail outlets with strict age verification for purchases
- Harsh penalties and loss of licence for underage sales
- Regulations that are proportionate to risk and reflect the lower harms of vaping compared to smoking
- A parallel therapeutic goods route for products that meet TGA standards