THE SENATE INQUIRY INTO VAPING has recommended that the vaping bill be passed (report here). What does that mean, and what’s next? The Committee voted in favour of the Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Bill 2024. If passed in a Senate vote, the bill will ban the importation, domestic manufacture, supply, commercial […] The post The Senate Committee has approved the vaping bill. What now? appeared first on Dr Colin Mendelsohn ..read more

EMERITUS PROFESSOR SIMON CHAPMAN AND COLLEAGUES are predicting that illegal vapes will virtually disappear in Australia because the Chinese government requires “all exporters to obey the laws of the countries to which they are exporting”. [link Sub 208, Sub 62] A Chinese government report showed that the number of vapes leaving China for Australia fell […] The post Will China stop supplying illegal vapes to Australia? appeared first on Dr Colin Mendelsohn ..read more

THREE EXPERT WITNESSES have told the Senate Inquiry into Vaping that the current vaping black market will continue unabated under the proposed legislation. No level of enforcement can restrict the established illicit trade and reduce its profitability. All three witnesses recommended that vapes be regulated as adult consumer products sold from licensed retail outlets as […] The post Proposed restrictions will have no impact on the vape black market – experts appeared first on Dr Colin Mendelsohn ..read more

IN MY INTRODUCTORY SPEECH to the Senate Vaping Inquiry on 2 May 2024, I cover two major concerns about Australia’s vaping policy and comment on the blatant misinformation presented to the Inquiry.    1. The current de facto ban is not working and will not work with the proposed changes Ninety percent of vapers […] The post My evidence at the Senate Inquiry appeared first on Dr Colin Mendelsohn ..read more

HARSH GOVERNMENT RESTRICTIONS on vaping products amount to prohibition and have created “an extraordinarily large, uncontrollable, and dangerous black market”. Attempts to restrict the market further will almost certainly fail according to leading experts in criminology and law enforcement, Dr James Martin and Mr Rohan Pike. Dr Martin is a Deakin University criminologist, with special […] The post Vaping prohibition has failed, experts say appeared first on Dr Colin Mendelsohn ..read more

RESEARCH HAS NOT IDENTIFIED any serious harms to the lungs from vaping nicotine by non-smoking adults in the short-medium term. An expert review concluded that vaping nicotine is unlikely to raise any significant concerns for lung health. (Polosa) There is good evidence that lung health improves in smokers who switch to vaping. Breathing, cough and […] The post Does vaping harm the lungs of adults who have never smoked? appeared first on Dr Colin Mendelsohn ..read more

NICOTINE POUCHES are becoming popular as safer nicotine alternatives to smoking tobacco in other countries. Are they legal in Australia? Are they safe? Where can you buy them?  Nicotine pouches are small bags of nicotine (in various doses) that are placed between the upper lip and gum for about an hour, and steadily release nicotine. […] The post Could nicotine pouches help you quit smoking? appeared first on Dr Colin Mendelsohn ..read more

THIS WEEK I GAVE EVIDENCE to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into vaping. However, I was appalled by the false and misleading information provided to the Committee in anti-vaping submissions and oral evidence by experts whose advice has created the current regulatory disaster. Continuing to follow this flawed advice will only lead to further harm to […] The post The dilemma facing the NSW Parliament Inquiry into Vaping appeared first on Dr Colin Mendelsohn ..read more

THE CURRENT SENATE VAPING INQUIRY is a real opportunity for change policy. There is growing support for vaping reform in federal Parliament. We think a majority of senators understand that the current model has failed. The deadline for submissions is COB 12 April 2024. The vaping bill before parliament is intended to ban “the importation, […] The post Please make a submission to the Senate vaping inquiry appeared first on Dr Colin Mendelsohn ..read more

SPEAKERS IN LAST WEEK’S PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE on the Vaping Reform Bill all agreed that the primary focus of vaping legislation should be to reduce youth use. However, there was very little agreement on anything else. The debate uncovered widespread misinformation about vaping and largely dismissed the huge value of vaping as an adult quitting aid. […] The post The vape debate – a report from Parliament appeared first on Dr Colin Mendelsohn ..read more