Senator Jordan Steele-John - Greens

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25 June 2024

"The Greens have come to this debate with a clear-eyed acknowledgement that the war on drugs—prohibition—has failed. At the heart of this failure is a deep desire of politicians to criminalise people who are experiencing drug dependency. We cannot let that continue for people who are dependent on nicotine vaping products. Our goal through this process has been to ensure that we get vapes out of the hands of kids while ensuring that adults can access therapeutic vaping products and guaranteeing that there is no chance that an individual is criminalised for possessing a personal vape."

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Senator Steele-John Is Wrong, Here's Why:

Senator Steele-John’s speech on vaping is contradictory, misinformed, and ultimately supports a policy that will worsen public health outcomes. Below is a fact-based rebuttal addressing the key flaws in his arguments.

1. The “Rising Rates of Nicotine Dependence” Narrative is MisleadingSteele-John claims that "rising nicotine dependence in our community" is a significant public health problem, but the data contradicts this: 

• Youth smoking rates are at record lows. If vaping were creating a new generation of nicotine addicts, we would expect to see an increase in youth smoking—but the opposite is true. Countries with legal vaping have seen steep declines in youth smoking​.

• Most youth vaping is experimental and does not lead to long-term addiction. According to the UK’s Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), the majority of youth who try vaping do not become regular users​.

• Vaping is diverting young people away from cigarettes. If nicotine dependence were truly on the rise, youth smoking rates would be increasing—but smoking rates among youth continue to decline in countries where vaping is widely available​. 

  
  

Fact: The real issue remains cigarette smoking, which kills 20,500 Australians each year—vaping is a harm reduction tool, not a cause of nicotine addiction​. Nicotine doesn't cause cancer, the smoke & tar from cigarettes do.Vapes don't contain smoke and tar!

2. The Tobacco Industry Did Not Create the Vaping Market Steele-John falsely claims that vaping is a Big Tobacco strategy to "hook a new generation".This is completely false: 

• Vaping was pioneered by independent companies, not Big Tobacco. The modern e-cigarette was invented in 2003 by a Chinese pharmacist, Hon Lik, as a harm reduction tool—not by tobacco companies​.

• Big Tobacco initially opposed vaping. The tobacco industry only entered the vaping market after independent companies made it successful because vaping was cutting into cigarette sales​.

• In countries where vaping is regulated, tobacco companies do not control the market. In the UK, New Zealand, and Canada, where vaping is encouraged as a smoking cessation tool, public health-driven regulations prevent Big Tobacco from dominating the industry​. 

Fact: Vaping originated as a harm reduction tool, and in countries with smart regulation, it remains independent from Big Tobacco influence​.

3. Banning Vape Sales in Stores Will Worsen the Black MarketSteele-John claims that vaping products must be removed from stores to protect young people. However, history shows that banning regulated sales fuels illicit trade: 

• Australia’s prescription-only model has already created a massive black market. By restricting legal access to vaping, the government has driven the market underground, where criminals profit and minors have easier access​.

• Countries with regulated retail sales have lower black-market activity. The UK, New Zealand, and Canada allow regulated vape sales through licensed retailers with strict age verification—this model has successfully reduced illicit sales​.

• Banning legal products never eliminates demand. Just like alcohol prohibition in the 1920s failed to eliminate alcohol consumption, banning legal vapes will not stop people from obtaining them—it just removes regulation and safety standards​. 

Fact: The best way to protect young people is through strict regulation, not outright bans that push sales into unregulated black markets​.

4. “Pharmacy-Only” Access is Still Too RestrictiveSteele-John claims that moving from a GP prescription model to a pharmacist-only model is a step forward—but this still creates unnecessary barriers for adult smokers trying to quit: 

• Smoking kills 20,500 Australians every year—restricting vaping makes it harder for smokers to quit. The UK, New Zealand, and Canada allow regulated consumer access because they recognize that vaping is a harm reduction tool that should be widely available to adult smokers​.

• Requiring a pharmacy visit still discourages smokers from switching. Instead of allowing regulated retail access with strict age verification, Australia forces smokers to obtain vapes through pharmacies, which is costly, inconvenient, and unnecessary​.

• No other country treats vapes like prescription medicine. In the UK, smokers can buy regulated vaping products at regular retail stores, reducing smoking rates without excessive barriers​. 

Fact: While a pharmacist-only model is an improvement over a GP-only model, it still makes switching from smoking to vaping unnecessarily difficult​.

5. Criminalizing the Supply of Vapes While Allowing Personal Possession is ContradictorySteele-John celebrates the Greens' amendment ensuring that personal vape possession will not be criminalized, but this contradicts the policy of banning the supply of vapes outside pharmacies: 

• If vaping is legal for personal use, how can banning the supply be justified? If adults are legally allowed to use vaping products, the government should ensure they have safe, regulated access to them​.

• The black market will remain the primary supplier if retail sales are banned. The Greens claim to oppose prohibition, yet their policy ensures that criminal syndicates will continue to dominate vape distribution in Australia​.

• Regulation, not prohibition, is the answer. The best way to reduce the black market is to allow licensed retail sales with strict enforcement of age restrictions and product safety standards​. 

Fact: Allowing personal vape use while banning the supply is an illogical policy that will keep the black market thriving.

6. Australia is Falling Behind Other Countries with Effective Vaping PoliciesSteele-John calls this legislation "world-leading", but in reality, it is an extreme, ineffective approach that no other developed country has adopted: 

• The UK, New Zealand, and Canada all support vaping as a harm reduction tool. These countries allow regulated adult sales while enforcing strict age verification and product standards​.

• Public health experts criticize Australia’s extreme stance. Many leading researchers argue that Australia’s policy is driven by ideology, not science​.

• Australia is out of step with international best practices. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes tobacco harm reduction as a legitimate strategy, yet Australia continues to push prohibition over regulation​. 

Fact: Australia’s vaping laws are among the most restrictive in the world, failing to reduce smoking while fueling a black market​.Senator Steele-John’s speech on vaping is contradictory, ignores global evidence, and ultimately supports a policy that will harm public health.

The reality is:

✅ Vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking and helps people quit​.

✅ The "youth vaping epidemic" is exaggerated—most youth vapers were already smokers​.

✅ There is no strong evidence that vaping causes young people to take up smoking​✅ Banning legal vapes fuels the black market, making youth access worse​.

✅ Nicotine itself is not the cause of smoking-related disease—combustion is​.

✅ Australia’s prohibitionist approach has failed—countries with regulated models are more successful​.Policy Recommendation:Instead of prohibition, Australia should adopt a regulated consumer model, similar to the UK and New Zealand, which includes: 

• Licensed vape retailers with strict age verification.

• Strict safety and ingredient regulations for vaping products.

• Public education campaigns on the differences between smoking and vaping.

• A separate route for medical vapes for those who prefer a prescription model. 

This balanced approach would help smokers quit, reduce smoking-related diseases, and protect public health. Prohibition has failed—Australia needs evidence-based regulation, not fear-mongering.