According to the latest "Five Generations of E-cigarette Research" data from the Australian Cancer Council, over 86% of young Australians aged 18-24 support or do not oppose the removal of e-cigarette products from retail stores. This research was conducted before a vote in the Senate on an e-cigarette bill that would ban retailers from advertising, supplying, or commercially owning non-therapeutic e-cigarettes.
According to the latest data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the highest rates of e-cigarette use are among the 18-24 age group, with the majority of users having never smoked before. However, despite this, a significant number of e-cigarette users in the 18-24 age group support a ban on retailers selling e-cigarettes, with nearly half of them having attempted to quit using e-cigarettes.
However, according to the "Five Generations of e-cigarette Research" in February of this year, 79% of young adult e-cigarette users believe that accessing e-cigarette products is very easy.
Chair of the Cancer Council Tobacco Issues Committee and research co-author Alecia Brooks stated that the proposed e-cigarette legislation will support the existing import ban, preventing the sale of e-cigarettes in the community without a prescription.
When every community has retailers openly selling e-cigarette products to young people, it is no surprise that young Australians find e-cigarettes easy to access. However, young people themselves also recognize that this retail environment is putting them at risk and hope to put an end to this phenomenon.
Research shows that 80% of young Australians who regularly use e-cigarettes and purchase them themselves, buy them from physical stores.
More than half of these young people purchase e-cigarettes from tobacco specialty shops, with a 15% increase in just two years, indicating easy access to and growth in e-cigarette availability. Currently, only 3% of people purchase e-cigarettes through social media platforms, as buying e-cigarettes from a physical store is much easier and hassle-free. Pulling the retailers who supply e-cigarettes out of the market would make Australian youth and communities safer.
A study has found that within a period of two years, the number of young Australians aged 18-24 who use e-cigarettes and consume over 3000 puffs has doubled, increasing from 18.5% to 36.5%.
Associate Professor Becky Freeman, Chief Investigator at the University of Sydney, expressed concern that young Australians are easily accessing e-cigarette devices containing high levels of nicotine. The types of devices used by young people have changed during the study period.
More than a third of young Australians are now using e-cigarettes with nicotine levels exceeding 3000 puffs, doubling the figure from just two years ago. The e-cigarette industry is marketing these high-concentration nicotine products to young people, leading them to become addicted.
Before the federal parliament votes on this e-cigarette bill, young people will continue to easily access and use e-cigarettes, posing risks to their health.
Therefore, the Cancer Council urges all members of parliament and senators to address the concerns of young Australians, parents, teachers, and the broader community by voting in support of the e-cigarette bill, in order to reduce the destructive impact of e-cigarettes on our community and young Australians.
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