Australian Study Backs Vaping for Smoking Cessation

You may have heard the news late last year, that Australia was banning over-the-counter sales for nicotine-containing E-Liquids and E-Cigarettes. It was a shocking sudden turn by the Australian Government that put into action the need for a GP prescription to be able to vape. These changes were made in an effort to halt young people from taking up vaping, however, it seems that such drastic action may have not been for the better.

Latest study reveals vaping as a successful smoking cessation tool

Research has been recently undertaken by the National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research at the University of Queensland, alongside other academics and the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame. This research looked at vaping as a smoking cessation tool in Australian adult smokers. The results unsurprisingly found that E-Cigarettes may have benefits for public health.

The study noted that the frequency of E-Cigarette use is likely an important factor for smoking cessation success. Those that were noted to vape daily were more likely to quit or reduce smoking cigarettes than Australian smokers who didn’t. Given Australia’s current stance on vaping, this could be quite problematic. With the Australian government denying people access to E-Cigarettes and E-Liquids containing nicotine, it's effectively ruining efforts for smoking cessation. Especially given the convenience of vaping and the science that backs it as a successful tool for quitting smoking.

These new regulations that have been established are likely to have created a vaping product underground, where potentially unsafe vaping products are making their way into people’s hands. Without government backing for quality controls and safety measures, this itself can create more harm than intended. Tie it in with already pressured GPs struggling in the wake of the pandemic. As they try to maintain business-as-usual whilst experiencing increased demand due to back-log; adding on trips to the GP for a prescription for E-Liquids and E-Cigarettes is potentially wasteful when these products could normally be bought over the counter.

The UK’s stance towards vaping should be adopted by other countries

In the UK, we continue to push vaping as a less harmful alternative to smoking, combatting misinformation that continues to be spread. One of the biggest complaints against vaping has been the idea that vaping amongst young people is getting out of hand. Because of the UK’s strict guidelines and regulations, the UK has not seen an explosion of young people vaping or taking up smoking as a result. Latest studies in the UK have shown that most vaping product experimentation does not turn into regular use amongst young people.
Here's hoping that as more evidence of the benefits of vaping in Australia comes to light, the Australian government may rethink their stance.