“It is not the alternative”

Yarrawonga Medical Clinic Dr Clyde Ronan weighed in on the issue as further surveys and reviews are conducted on the harm of e-cigarettes especially on younger people.

“We hear of people who take up e-cigarettes as an alternative to quit smoking, but it hasn’t proven to assist in quitting as even more people are taking up the practice and becoming addicted,” Dr Ronan said.

“The temptations and risks however are an alternative to smoking regular cigarettes with both not healthy for your body.

“In some instances they both still use the drug dependent chemical of nicotine which is harmful to a person’s respiratory system.

“The effects and risks of e-cigarettes are unknown and unmeasurable except for the fact that they are highly addictive.

“They are not the alternative to smoking regular cigarettes.”

Dr Ronan also highlighted the fact that for regular cigarette smokers to work towards quitting the addiction, doctors’ input is required with no qualified doctor suggesting taking up e-cigarettes.

“For people to try to quit smoking you need doctors’ input into the measures to take and products to use such as patches etc but no doctor is going to tell an individual to take up e-cigarettes as an alternative especially when we do not know enough about them,” Dr Ronan said.

“I have also not received anyone requiring input about e-cigarettes even to ask about the health repercussions of their use.

“As the report suggests, more teenagers are beginning to take up vaping. If it is illegal for under 17s to purchase and use them, then how are they accessing them?

“E-cigarettes are not safe, largely unregulated and the most addictive.”

VicHealth Chief Executive Officer Dr Sandro Demaio said the health department are hearing from parents, community leaders, and teens themselves, that vaping is a huge issue for communities around Victoria.

“The liquid in e-cigarettes contains dozens of toxic chemicals including formaldehyde, nicotine and heavy metals. These are chemicals that are known to cause cancer and damage the brain and do not belong in our lungs,” Dr Demaio said.

Cancer Council Victoria Chief Executive Officer Todd Harper added that surveys conducted by the Cancer Council had shown high levels of community support for measures that protect children from vaping and smoking.

“The need for a licensing scheme for cigarette and e-cigarette retailers in Victoria, to simplify and strengthen enforcement of laws, is now critical,” Mr Harper said.

“We need the federal government to do more to stop unlawful e-cigarette imports, sure, but we also need to ensure there are consequences for retailers in Victoria who are knowingly doing the wrong thing and illegally selling harmful e-cigarettes to children.”