"While around 9.4 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 smoke cigarettes, down from 32 per cent in 2001, 25 per cent of people in that age group have used vapes"
Timeline:
27 March 2024:
" I rise to speak on the Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Bill 2024. Tobacco use is responsible for around 21,000 deaths a year in Australia—more than one in every eight fatalities. Around 15,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year in this country, with 90 per cent of them tobacco related. Tobacco is responsible for 9.3 per cent of the burden of disease in this country. A pack-a-day habit costs around $14,600 a year. For us as a community, the AIHW estimates smoking costs Australia around $5 billion in lost productivity, $2 billion for family members caring for someone with smoking related disease and $6.8 billion in healthcare costs, including 1.7 million hospital admissions. If you factor in premature death, the total cost to the Australian community is estimated at $136 billion annually."
Louise Miller Frost Is Wrong, Here's Why:
Louise Miller-Frost MP’s speech is filled with misconceptions, flawed comparisons, and a lack of understanding of harm reduction strategies. Below is a fact-based rebuttal explaining why her arguments are incorrect and misleading.
1. “Imagine if we could go back in time and prevent tobacco being normalised in Australia. That is where we are now with vaping.”
The Facts: Vaping Is Not the Same as Smoking
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Vaping is NOT tobacco. E-cigarettes contain no tobacco, no combustion, and far fewer toxic chemicals than cigarettes.
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The Royal College of Physicians (UK) and Public Health England confirm that vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking.
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Countries that regulate vaping for harm reduction, such as the UK and New Zealand, continue to see declining smoking rates.
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If vaping was as dangerous as smoking, we would see similar health consequences, but there is no evidence of vaping-related deaths from nicotine e-cigarettes.
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Comparing vaping to smoking is misleading—it is not a public health disaster like cigarettes.
2. “Vaping is a gateway drug, with one in three people who vape going on to smoke cigarettes.”
The Facts: The “Gateway Effect” Is a Myth
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There is no scientific evidence proving that vaping causes smoking.
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Studies showing a link between vaping and smoking do not establish causation—most young people who try vapes would have experimented with cigarettes anyway.
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If vaping caused smoking, we would expect to see smoking rates rising. Instead, in countries where vaping is widespread, youth smoking rates continue to decline.
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In the UK and New Zealand, where vapes are legally available to adults, youth smoking has not increased.
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Australia’s ban on legal vape sales has failed to prevent youth access—it has only strengthened the black market.
3. “Vaping itself is not a safe activity. Vaping fluids contain up to 200 chemicals, including those found in nail polish remover, weedkiller, and paint stripper.”
The Facts: Regulated Vaping Liquids Contain Far Fewer Harmful Chemicals Than Cigarettes
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The vast majority of these “toxic chemicals” exist in minute, non-harmful amounts—often less than what is found in everyday food and drink products.
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Cigarettes contain over 7,000 chemicals, including dozens of known carcinogens—vaping liquids do not.
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When properly regulated, vaping liquids contain food-grade ingredients, nicotine, and propylene glycol/vegetable glycerin, all of which are deemed safe for inhalation.
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Banning legal vapes will not protect consumers from harmful chemicals—it will push them into the black market, where dangerous additives are more likely.
4. “Nicotine increases anxiety, depression, increases sleep problems, and affects memory and concentration, particularly in developing brains.”
The Facts: Nicotine Does Not Cause These Problems in Isolation
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Nicotine itself is not the primary cause of smoking-related disease—it is the combustion of tobacco that causes harm.
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The link between nicotine and mental health issues is not clear—many smokers and vapers have pre-existing anxiety or depression, meaning causation cannot be established.
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Some studies suggest that nicotine may actually have cognitive benefits, particularly in improving focus and memory.
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If nicotine was as dangerous as claimed, then nicotine patches and gum (which are available over the counter) should also be banned—but they are not, because they pose minimal health risks.
5. “Vaping is causing a new generation of nicotine addiction.”
The Facts: Vaping Helps Smokers Quit, Not Create New Addicts
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Vaping is overwhelmingly used by smokers or former smokers who are trying to quit or reduce harm.
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In countries with regulated vape sales, most vapers are adults who were previously smokers.
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The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) supports vaping as an effective smoking cessation tool and encourages smokers to switch.
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The key issue is youth access, which should be addressed through strict retail regulation rather than an outright ban.
6. “Vapes are being marketed to children with bright colors, unicorns, and sweet flavors.”
The Facts: Flavored Vapes Are Critical for Adult Smokers to Quit
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Most adult smokers who switch to vaping prefer fruit and dessert flavors because they help dissociate vaping from smoking.
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Countries that have banned flavors (such as the US in some states) have seen former smokers return to cigarettes, increasing smoking rates.
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Instead of banning flavors, Australia should enforce strict retail laws, ensuring only adults can buy flavored vapes.
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Banning flavors will not stop youth vaping—it will only push young people towards unregulated, illegal products.
7. “If we could go back in time and stop tobacco, wouldn’t we?”
The Facts: Vaping Is the Best Tool We Have to Reduce Smoking Deaths
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Banning vapes while keeping cigarettes legal is completely illogical.
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If Australia fully bans vapes, more people will return to smoking, leading to more deaths, not fewer.
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Countries that embrace vaping for harm reduction have seen smoking rates drop to record lows—Australia risks reversing decades of progress with a prohibitionist approach.
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Vaping is not a “new public health disaster.” It is a harm reduction tool that can prevent the real disaster: cigarette smoking.
A More Effective Approach
Louise Miller-Frost MP’s speech relies on fear, misinformation, and a failure to recognize the role of harm reduction. Instead of doubling down on failed prohibitionist policies, Australia should adopt a regulated, evidence-based vaping policy, similar to the UK and New Zealand where:
✅ Smoking rates continue to decline.
✅ Youth vaping is controlled through strict retail regulation.
✅ Black markets are minimized.
✅ Adult smokers have legal access to a harm reduction tool.
What Should Be Done Instead?
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Legalize and regulate vapes with strict age controls (rather than banning them and fueling the black market).
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Ensure all vape products meet safety standards (so they do not contain harmful chemicals).
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Educate youth about vaping risks honestly (rather than exaggerating and losing credibility).
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Keep flavors available for adults to prevent smokers from returning to cigarettes.
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Treat vaping as a harm reduction tool rather than a public health crisis.
Prohibition has never worked—it didn’t work with alcohol, it hasn’t worked with drugs, and it won’t work with vapes. Australia should be focusing on sensible regulation, not bans.