The AMA (WA) has joined a number of West Australian organisations to urge the state government to strengthen laws and improve enforcement in relation to vapes or e-cigarettes.
Cancer Council WA, WA Council of Social Service, Cystic Fibrosis WA and the WA Commissioner for Children and Young People are among the 18 public health, medical and community organisations calling for action.
A joint statement released last week said while recent national and WA reforms had strengthened the regulation of e-cigarettes, there remained concern that the tobacco and e-cigarette industries continued to market e-cigarettes to young people.
“There is strong and growing evidence that vaping poses serious health risks and increases the likelihood of tobacco use. Research indicates that young people who vape are five times more likely to begin smoking,” the joint statement read.
The organisations are united that strong legislation, supported by effective enforcement, is essential in achieving lasting improvements in public health.
“The WA Government has an opportunity to draw on recent legislative reforms adopted by the Commonwealth and other Australian jurisdictions to strengthen WA legislation,” their statement read.
WA was recently found to be lagging behind other states and territories in regard to tobacco and vape reforms as part of the annual National Tobacco Scorecard.
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Put together by lobby group Australian Council on Smoking and Health, WA was given a ‘D’ grade, placing the state second only to the Northern Territory as the worst performer.
Currently under federal laws, vapes can only legally be sold with a prescription at a pharmacy.
To build upon and complement this, the AMA (WA) and others are urging the WA government to amend state legislation to explicitly prohibit the sale and supply of e-cigarette products that are not prescribed or otherwise legally authorised, in order to aid enforcement.
They want advertising, promotion and sponsorship in relation to e-cigarette products to be prohibited to ensure the products cannot be promoted, regardless of whether they contain nicotine or not
They also want vaping in places where smoking is prohibited to also be prohibited in a bid to reduce the perception that vaping is normal and reduce exposure to harmful substances.
The alliance of organisations is calling for legislative enforcement measures and penalties to be strengthened to effectively deter the unlawful sale of e-cigarette products and to increase resourcing for compliance and enforcement.
“Decisive and sustained action is essential to protect young Western Australians from the harmful impacts of vaping,” the statement read.
“WA must not only keep pace with national reforms but must also take a lead in protecting the health of future generations.”
Speaking in Parliament on October 22, shadow minister for Police, Corrective Services and Youth, Adam Hort condemned the government for what he said was a failure to bring on legislation “to shut down stores that sell illegal tobacco when other jurisdictions have acted and are getting results that improve community safety”.
WA’s Health Minister Meredith Hammat told Parliament the work was happening.
“This government will be introducing laws to strengthen our vaping and tobacco laws,” she said.
“When those laws are ready to be introduced, they will be introduced, but we want to make sure that such laws are robust and rigorous and among the best in Australia.
“Our objective will be to make sure that we not only consider provisions that have been introduced in other states, but also draft ours in a way that we know will withstand the challenges that may come.”
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