Is it true that a growing number of Australian children are addicted to nicotine?
Yes. More than 30% of 14- to 17-year-olds are vaping, according to the first national research project, Generation Vape, which questioned a group of 700 young people.
We know that most vapes contain nicotine, even though the substance is often not included in the ingredient list.
Of 214 vaping products recently tested by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, 190 contained nicotine.
Quitline is fielding calls from teenagers as young as 13, while the federal health minister, Mark Butler, says the numbers are alarming.
Isn’t it illegal to sell vapes to children?
All vaping products, irrespective of nicotine content, are illegal to sell to those under 18 in Australia.
It is also illegal to sell, supply or possess an e-cigarette or any liquid that contains nicotine in Australia without a doctor’s prescription.
However, suppliers have been getting around this by removing nicotine from the ingredients list, even though their products contain it.
So how are children getting them?
More than a quarter of the young people who responded to the Generation Vape survey said they were buying them directly from convenience stories or tobacconists.
Children also got vapes from other students, friends and family members who vape, or buy the product online.
Vapes range in cost from $5-$30 and can contain hundreds to thousands of puffs.
Is anything being done?
On Wednesday, Butler announced a federal government plan to crack down on the vaping industry. He said the TGA would first lead public consultation on areas including tightening importation rules and tougher labelling laws.
“We need to understand where the current regulatory framework falls short and what action governments can take to move the dial,” he said.
Many state health departments have also set up teams to manage the growing problem by testing products and acting on tips from the public. In New South Wales alone, more than 157,000 vapes containing nicotine were seized in raids in the 18 months to September.
The NSW health department’s director of public health programs, Carolyn Murray, said retailers should “assume that their products have nicotine in them” even if they were not labelled as such.
What are the effects of vaping nicotine?
Nicotine is one of the world’s most addictive substances, according to Prof Emily Banks, an epidemiologist with the Australian National University and a leading tobacco control expert.
Dr Krista Monkhouse, a paediatrician with a youth drug and alcohol clinical services program, says she has seen children who can’t get through a day without a puff, and in some cases, even a night’s sleep.
Monkhouse said the human brain keeps developing until around age 25, and that nicotine use in adolescence can harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control.
However, she warns the withdrawal effects can be even worse.
“They include depressed mood, irritability, frustration, anger, anxiety, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, and insomnia.”
Vaping can be harder to quit than smoking.
Your GP can provide support, but there are also dedicated hotlines which provide advice.
In every Australian state, parents can call Quitline for support on 13 78 48.
In Victoria, there is also DirectLine, an alcohol and other drugs advice service offering confidential counselling and referral 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 1800 888 236.
What do I do if I think my child has bought a vape illegally?
If you know a store is selling vapes illegally to children, you can report them through your state or territory’s health department’s tobacco compliance officer or similar.
