The report, published today in the Medical Journal of Australia, found 16 per cent of young smokers in the state aged between 18 and 29 are using e-cigarettes, a higher proportion than any other age group.
Of these young people, 25 per cent of say they are using e-cigarettes because they believe they are not
as bad for you as cigarettes.
Anita Dessaix, Manager of Cancer Prevention at the Cancer Institute NSW says that it is important that
people are aware of the risks and possible dangers associated with e-cigarette use.
“The assumption that e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to tobacco smoking with little or no negative
health consequences is a concern. People need to be aware that the e-cigarette industry is currently
unregulated and we don’t in fact know what risks they pose. Further research is needed into the full
effects of e-cigarettes,” says Dessaix.
A particular area of concern for public health professionals is the marketing of e-cigarettes to young
people, including the promotion of fruit and candy flavoured cartridges, and the effect that this may have on smoking rates in the future.
“There is no conclusive evidence that e-cigarettes work as a quit smoking aid,” Dessaix continues. “In
fact, there are fears that they could again normalise smoking behaviour, which could lead to young users moving on to smoking tobacco. What we don’t want to see is a reversal of the progress that has been made in tobacco control in Australia.
“In countries like the UK and the US, e-cigarettes receive the kind of high glamour, celebrity fuelled
advertising that we last saw from the tobacco industry many decades ago. These are actively targeting
young people who may not already be smokers.”
Dessaix says the study also points to the potentially dangerous practice of individuals smoking both
cigarettes and e-cigarettes being prevalent throughout the state, with data showing current smokers are
more likely to use e-cigarettes than recent quitters.
E-cigarettes are currently unregulated as cessation aids – the Australian National Health and Medical
Research Council recommends authorities should act to minimise harm until evidence of safety, quality
and efficacy can be produced.
Online purchasing at high rates
The study shows almost a third of e-cigarette users are buying the product online and largely unrestricted – more than any other method of purchase.
29 per cent of e-cigarette smokers buy the device over the internet where there are no restrictions around whether dangerous substances such as nicotine are included. Nicotine e-cigarettes are banned in
Australia.
Supporting data from the International Tobacco Control Project shows that one in five Australian ecigarette smokers doesn’t know whether their brand contains nicotine or not.
Dessaix says that this frightening statistic provides further evidence for the need to continue to research
and regulate the e-cigarette industry.
Electronic cigarettes are battery-powered devices producing a vapour which the user inhales, simulating
the act of cigarette smoking.