"We want to do everything we can to avoid people suffering from preventable lung cancer."
Timeline:
27 March 2024:
- "A further $30 million has also been invested in support programs to help Australians quit. (vaping/smoking)"
- "the 2023-24 budget included $63 million for public health information campaigns to discourage Australians from taking up vaping and smoking and to encourage more people to quit."
"When it comes nicotine addiction, our excise tariff amendments, which increase the tax on tobacco by five per cent for three years—in addition to the ordinary annual indexation—aim to reduce smoking rates to below 10 per cent by 2025 and, hopefully, to five per cent or less by 2030. And our government is tackling the insidious introduction of and rapid rise in consumer vaping head-on. In the past decade e-cigarettes and vapes have been sold to governments and communities around the world as a therapeutic good—that they were a product that could help hardened smokers kick the habit. These are usually men and women in their 40s or 50s who are smoking a pack or more a day. Getting them onto vaping and e-cigarettes instead was sold as a way to get people off the fags, but what we see now is a new generation taking up vaping—kids. We see them every day in our streets, vaping, with lolly flavoured nicotine. It's an entirely new generation of nicotine dependency being born, and the biggest issue is absolutely with school-age children. If vapes are therapeutic goods, as they have been sold to us, then it is entirely appropriate that Australia should regulate them as therapeutic goods instead of allowing them to be sold in convenience stores, so often close to schools."
Brian Mitchell Is Wrong, Here's Why:
Brian Mitchell MP’s speech on vaping presents multiple inaccuracies and misconceptions that are not supported by evidence. Below is a fact-based rebuttal to his claims.
1. Vaping is Not Creating a “New Generation of Nicotine Dependency”
Mitchell argues that vaping is leading to widespread nicotine addiction among young people, but the data tells a different story:
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Most youth vaping is experimental and infrequent. Research from the UK’s Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and Public Health England shows that most young people who try vaping do so experimentally and do not become regular users.
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Youth smoking rates are at historic lows. Countries where vaping is more accessible, such as the UK and New Zealand, have seen record declines in youth smoking, indicating that vaping is likely replacing smoking rather than creating new nicotine users.
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The "gateway effect" is a myth. The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has stated that there is no credible evidence that vaping acts as a gateway to smoking. Studies show that young people who vape are typically those who would have smoked if vaping were not available.
Instead of focusing on youth experimentation, policy should prioritize keeping cigarettes out of young people's hands while ensuring that vaping remains available for adult smokers seeking to quit.
2. Vaping is One of the Most Effective Smoking Cessation Aids
Mitchell dismisses the role of vaping as a smoking cessation tool, despite overwhelming evidence:
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Public health agencies support vaping as a quitting aid. The NHS, Cancer Research UK, and Public Health England all recognize that vaping is one of the most effective methods to help smokers quit.
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Vaping has contributed to smoking declines in countries with supportive policies. In the UK, where vaping is widely used for smoking cessation, smoking rates have declined much faster than in Australia, where access is highly restricted.
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Clinical studies confirm effectiveness. A major Cochrane review found that vaping is at least as effective, if not more so, than other nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) such as patches or gum.
By restricting access to legal, regulated vaping products, Australia is preventing smokers from using a far less harmful alternative to cigarettes.
3. Nicotine is Not the Primary Health Risk in Smoking
Mitchell implies that nicotine itself is the major health risk of smoking and vaping, which is misleading:
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Nicotine is not a carcinogen. The vast majority of smoking-related diseases (lung cancer, heart disease, COPD) are caused by combustion-related toxins, not nicotine.
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Nicotine has been used safely in NRTs for decades. Nicotine replacement products such as patches and gum have been used for smoking cessation for many years with no evidence of long-term harm.
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The NHS confirms that vaping reduces toxic exposure. People who switch completely from smoking to vaping significantly reduce their exposure to harmful toxins associated with cancer, lung disease, and heart disease.
While nicotine is addictive, the key goal of tobacco harm reduction is to eliminate exposure to combustion-related chemicals, not to eliminate nicotine entirely.
4. Australia's Prescription-Only Model for Vaping is a Failure
Mitchell supports Australia’s restrictive prescription-only model, but evidence shows that this policy is counterproductive:
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It has created a thriving black market. Due to Australia's strict regulations, an unregulated illicit market has emerged, where illegal and potentially dangerous vaping products are being sold without age restrictions.
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It prevents smokers from accessing safer alternatives. Unlike the UK’s regulated consumer model, which allows vapes to be sold as adult-only products, Australia’s policy limits access for smokers while doing little to curb youth vaping.
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Public health experts criticize Australia's approach. Colin Mendelsohn and other harm reduction experts have repeatedly pointed out that Australia’s ban-like policy is out of step with global best practices.
Instead of prohibition, Australia should adopt a regulated model similar to the UK, with strict age verification and penalties for underage sales.
5. Higher Tobacco Taxes Disproportionately Harm Low-Income Australians
Mitchell argues that increasing tobacco taxes will reduce smoking rates, but this approach has serious drawbacks:
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Heavy taxation disproportionately affects disadvantaged groups. He acknowledges that smoking rates are highest in low-income communities, yet increasing tobacco taxes will place a greater financial burden on these populations.
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Without viable alternatives, higher taxes lead to financial hardship rather than quitting. In countries where vaping is widely available, higher tobacco taxes are more effective because smokers have a lower-cost, reduced-risk alternative.
Instead of relying solely on punitive taxation, policymakers should ensure that safer alternatives like vaping are accessible to help smokers quit.
6. Vaping Does Not Cause the Same Health Risks as Smoking
Mitchell suggests that vaping increases the risk of cancer and other diseases, but the evidence contradicts this:
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Vaping is far less harmful than smoking. Public Health England and the Royal College of Physicians have stated that vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking.
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There is no evidence linking vaping to lung cancer. Cancer Research UK and Cancer Council Australia CEO confirms that there is no good evidence that vaping causes cancer.
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Concerns about conditions like "popcorn lung" are unfounded. The chemical linked to popcorn lung (diacetyl) has been banned in regulated e-liquids in many countries, and there has never been a confirmed case of popcorn lung caused by vaping.
While vaping is not risk-free, its risks are substantially lower than those of smoking. The key is to regulate products properly rather than banning them.
Brian Mitchell MP’s statements on vaping ignore strong evidence from leading public health bodies.
The reality is:
✅ Vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking.
✅ It is one of the most effective tools for quitting smoking.
✅ Youth vaping concerns are overstated, while youth smoking rates are declining.
✅ Australia’s prescription-only model has failed and fueled a black market.
✅ Nicotine is not the primary cause of smoking-related diseases.
Australia should follow the evidence-based approach used by the UK and New Zealand, where vaping is regulated as a consumer product with strict age restrictions. This would help more smokers quit, reduce smoking-related disease, and protect public health.