A new report shows growing support for policy action to limit the availability and use of e-cigarettes, with almost nine in ten Australian adults (87%) supporting government action to stop a new generation of Australians becoming addicted to nicotine.

The new data comes just weeks after the TGA received numerous submissions on proposed reforms to the regulation of nicotine vaping products from concerned Australians and public health organisations, including Cancer Councils and Quit, urging immediate action on nicotine vaping products.

In these submissions, Cancer Councils called for border controls on the importation of all vaping products, to support enforcement by ACT agencies and stop illegal sales.

“Together, Australia’s leading public health experts urged state, territory and federal governments to step up, and work together to stop the illegal importation and sale of e-cigarettes. We have laws in place designed to protect Australians from the many immediate and future health impacts of vaping. But they are being blatantly disregarded”, said Libby Jardine, Chair of Cancer Council’s Tobacco Issues Committee.

The Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer report, commissioned by Cancer Council Australia and Quit, also reveals that an increasing number of Australians understand the health harms of e-cigarettes. In 2022, more than eight in ten Australians (81%) agreed that e-cigarettes are highly addictive, a significant increase from 70% in 2021.   

This new data also shows that the overwhelming majority (83%) of 18- to 24-year-olds agree that e-cigarettes are ‘highly addictive’.

This age group, who also have the highest rate of e-cigarette use, are just as likely to support stronger policy action (86%) as any other age group.

Formative research conducted by the ACT Health Directorate indicates that vaping amongst young people is steadily increasing, despite the signs of dependence that young people are observing in their peers. The research conducted with 14–24-year-old Canberrans suggested that e-cigarette use has infiltrated schools and common city hangouts and that social media platforms had made access easy.

Cancer Council ACT CEO Verity Hawkins states, “The Cancer Council federation has always been consistent in our policy asks. For us here at Cancer Council ACT, our focus is on protecting young people in the ACT.”

“This is a valuable opportunity, when public sentiment and local policy leaders are in agreement, that more needs to be done to protect young people through regulations on e-cigarettes and vaping products”, said Ms Hawkins.

“This tsunami of illegal products being imported, stored in warehouses, sold in shops and online and supplied to young people without detection, can be stopped. The federal government must immediately take stronger action at the border to stop these products entering the country, whilst eliminating the supply of so-called ‘non-nicotine’ e-cigarettes", said Ms Jardine.

“Meanwhile, the ACT government must crackdown on illegal retail sales and warehousing of nicotine e-cigarette products, whilst taking stronger action to stop the supply and advertising of all e-cigarette products”, recommends Ms Hawkins.

“The longer we wait to enforce and strengthen existing laws, the more people – especially young people – we’ll see experiencing nicotine addiction, poisoning, seizures, burns and lung injury. We can stop this, but only if all Australian governments step up now”, Jardine concludes.

Visit Cancer Council’s website for further information on how all governments can stop a new generation becoming addicted to nicotine.