A new health campaign launched under the title ‘Every Vape is a Hit to Your Health,’ which aims to address the increase in youth vaping. The campaign was developed with input from young people and medical experts, in response to the alarming rates of vaping among people aged 16-24, which rose to 16.5 percent in 2021-2022 from 4.5 percent two years prior. It features stories from young people who have experienced the harms of vaping, including addiction, lung damage, breathing issues, nicotine poisoning, and injuries from exploding vapes.
New South Wales (NSW) Health Minister Ryan Park shared that the aim is to encourage young people to consider the proven health risks of vaping and to seek support. Vaping is a serious issue with potential long-term impacts, and it took more than 75 years to decrease smoking among men from approximately 72 percent to 14 percent. It is important to stem the tide of another emerging public health crisis to avoid a lasting impact on generations of young people to come.
The NSW government has been updating curriculum resources to address the dangers of vaping and developing an online training module for school staff to facilitate conversations with students, as well as webinar resources for parents and carers. This comes as new research found that vape stores are heavily concentrated around schools and in disadvantaged areas. Almost 200 e-cigarette stores in Western Australia were found to primarily be located around schools, with a high density in the most socio-economically disadvantaged areas.
There are additional government reforms scheduled for later this year to strengthen the regulation of e-cigarette sales, marketing, and manufacturing. The reforms aim to implement comprehensive controls on vapes throughout the supply chain, focusing on retailers and not individuals addicted to vaping. It is an urgent priority to close remaining loopholes and curb the vaping epidemic among young people.