"I say that as someone who has been an active vaper and has seen and felt its impact. I have, in confidence, conversations with a great many people about how it has impacted their lives"
Timeline:
25 June 2024:
"I say that as someone who has been an active vaper and has seen and felt its impact. I have, in confidence, conversations with a great many people about how it has impacted their lives. I come from a family of smokers, and for some, for some time, vaping seemed like it could be a pathway out of smoking. For some, it has been. For others, it elevated their nicotine addiction and therefore upped their need for nicotine in a way that meant they ended up smoking more."
Louise Pratt Is Wrong, Here's Why:
Senator Louise Pratt’s speech against vaping is riddled with misconceptions, logical inconsistencies, and policy recommendations that contradict global best practices. Below is a fact-based rebuttal, supported by scientific evidence, public health research, and real-world policy outcomes.
1. “The previous government let this pandemic of vaping explode.”
The Facts: Australia’s Own Policy Choices Created the Black Market
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The “explosion” of youth vaping in Australia is a direct result of restrictive policies that have forced vapers onto the black market, where there are no age checks, safety regulations, or nicotine content restrictions.
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Countries like the UK and New Zealand, where vapes are legally sold in regulated shops, have lower rates of illegal youth vaping than Australia.
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Australia’s prescription-only model has made it easier for young people to access unregulated, high-nicotine disposable vapes from illicit sources, instead of safer, regulated alternatives.
2. “For some, vaping was a pathway out of smoking. For others, it increased their nicotine addiction and made them smoke more.”
The Facts: Vaping Helps Smokers Quit and Lowers Smoking Rates
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Vaping has been shown to be one of the most effective tools for quitting smoking and is at least as effective as nicotine patches and medications.
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In countries where vaping is widely available (like the UK and New Zealand), smoking rates have fallen faster than in Australia.
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The claim that vaping increases smoking is not supported by evidence. Instead, studies suggest that vaping displaces smoking rather than encouraging it.
3. “Big Tobacco is behind vaping, recruiting a new generation to nicotine addiction.”
The Facts: Big Tobacco Opposed Vaping Before Trying to Enter the Market
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Vaping was pioneered by independent entrepreneurs, not Big Tobacco. The modern e-cigarette was developed by Hon Lik, a Chinese pharmacist, to help people quit smoking.
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Big Tobacco originally fought against vaping because it threatened their cigarette business. It was only after vaping’s success that tobacco companies tried to enter the market.
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Independent vape companies have been the primary force behind harm reduction efforts, not tobacco giants.
4. “Students are vaping through their jumpers in classrooms. Teachers can’t do anything.”
The Facts: Youth Vaping Should Be Addressed with Education and Regulation, Not Prohibition
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Youth vaping should be managed through sensible education, strict age-verification laws, and retail licensing, not outright bans.
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Countries like the UK, Canada, and New Zealand have successfully reduced youth vaping rates through age restrictions, strong enforcement, and education—not prohibition.
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Making vapes illegal doesn’t stop youth from obtaining them—it drives them to the black market, where there are zero safety controls.
5. “A toddler died from ingesting e-vaping liquid in an unregulated environment.”
The Facts: Proper Regulation Prevents Such Tragedies
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Tragic cases of children ingesting nicotine highlight the dangers of unregulated, illegal products, not regulated vaping.
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In countries where vaping is legally regulated, such as the UK, e-liquids are required to have childproof packaging, warning labels, and strict nicotine limits.
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Australia’s black market thrives because of restrictive policies. Proper regulation would ensure safe, legal products while keeping them away from children.
6. “You let in this idea that vaping was going to be less harmful than smoking. It’s like comparing deadly apples and oranges.”
The Facts: Vaping Is Substantially Less Harmful Than Smoking
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Vaping is not risk-free, but it is significantly less harmful than smoking. This is the consensus of major public health bodies, including:
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UK NHS: “Nicotine vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking”.
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Royal College of Physicians: “E-cigarettes should be widely promoted as a substitute for smoking”.
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Cancer Research UK: “There is no good evidence that vaping causes cancer”.
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Cigarettes contain over 7,000 chemicals, including tar and carbon monoxide, which are not present in vapes.
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By conflating the risks of vaping with smoking, Senator Pratt misleads the public about the benefits of tobacco harm reduction.
7. “Young people are being hospitalized with lung collapses from vaping.”
The Facts: EVALI Was Caused by Illegal THC Vapes, Not Nicotine Vaping
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There is no credible evidence that legal nicotine vaping causes serious lung injuries.
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The 2019 EVALI outbreak in the U.S. was caused by vitamin E acetate in illegal THC vape products, not legal nicotine vapes.
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Countries where vaping is legal and regulated have not reported such hospitalizations due to legal nicotine vapes.
8. “I support young people getting medical supervision for nicotine addiction via an e-script.”
The Facts: The Prescription Model Fails to Address the Problem
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Australia’s prescription-only model has created the very black market the government now complains about.
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In the UK, where vapes are legally available, youth smoking rates continue to fall without high rates of addiction.
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Making vapes accessible only by prescription makes quitting harder for adult smokers and pushes young people toward the black market.
9. “Big Tobacco and their donors are influencing opposition to this bill.”
The Facts: Harm Reduction Is Supported by Independent Experts, Not Just Industry
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Support for vaping comes from public health experts, not just industry figures. Organizations that back vaping as a harm reduction tool include:
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The UK Royal College of Physicians.
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The NHS and Public Health England.
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The Canadian and New Zealand governments.
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Dismissing pro-vaping arguments as “Big Tobacco propaganda” ignores the real-world evidence from independent researchers and public health bodies.
10. “We are working hard to clean this up with strong reforms.”
The Facts: These Reforms Will Make Things Worse
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Restricting legal access to nicotine vapes will push more vapers back to smoking and strengthen the black market.
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The UK and New Zealand models of strict retail regulation have worked better than Australia’s prohibition-style approach.
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A legal, regulated market with age verification, product safety controls, and responsible marketing is the best way to prevent youth access while helping smokers quit.
A More Effective Approach
Senator Pratt’s speech is based on emotional rhetoric rather than scientific evidence.
Instead of doubling down on prohibitionist policies that fuel the black market, Australia should adopt a regulated, evidence-based vaping policy, as seen in the UK, New Zealand, and Canada, where:
✅ Smoking rates continue to fall.
✅ Youth vaping is controlled through proper retail regulation.
✅ Black markets are minimized.
✅ Adult smokers have legal access to a harm reduction tool.
Labor’s vaping policy will not solve the problem—it will make it worse. A well-regulated, legal market is the real solution.