Tasmanian research shows legalising nicotine would benefit public health

In Tasmania, vaping is allowed as long as it does not contain nicotine . A survey conducted in Australia found that more than half of smokers on the island would reduce their tobacco use if nicotine-containing vaping devices were legal.

Tasmania is an island off the Australian mainland with a population of 517,000 people, 21% of whom are smokers, according to data compiled by an Australian health survey in 2011. The surveyor was very concerned about Tasmania's public health because the survey results showed that the island had the highest rate of smokers of all Australian states, in stark contrast to the current rate of 18% in the country.

More data shows why e-cigarettes should be approved

A recent study by the Australian Convenience Stores Association surveyed 400 Tasmanian smokers and found that a third of respondents had tried e-cigarettes and three-quarters knew they did not contain nicotine. The most important finding was that more than half of the smokers surveyed said they would reduce their cigarette consumption or quit if nicotine-containing vaping devices were legal and widely available.

Unfortunately, Tasmanian Health Minister Michael Ferguson said there are no plans to legalise nicotine-containing e-cigarettes at this time, while AACS chief executive Jeff Rogut pointed out, “If e-cigarettes have the potential to help even a small proportion of smokers reduce or quit smoking, then we need to give those products a chance to help Australians.”

Experts hope TGA will back nicotine

A number of Australian health professionals have written to the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) asking that low-dose nicotine be decriminalised by removing it from the list of dangerous substances in the Poisons Standard. The TGA Advisory Panel will meet to consider the matter and announce its final decision in November 2016. A decision in favour of nicotine would have significant implications for the vaping industry and, more importantly, for public health in Australia. As we have seen, many people who have access to effective cessation devices will choose to switch to safer alternatives with the intention of quitting smoking.

This article was published on Vapingpost by Diane Caruana and translated by The Vape Club