Nanny state vaping rules an insult to free choice
Public health menace. That’s how the Labor Government describes vaping. Labor wants to stamp out vapes because of rising rates of vaping in schools. And I get that – I don’t want to see kids with vapes either. But if Labor gets their way, an adult wouldn’t be able to buy a vape if they wanted to.
Labor’s put forward a Bill that proposes a ban on making, advertising or selling vapes in Australia. But they’re not taking this same approach towards smoking. They’re treating these two nicotine products completely differently from one another. And I’m not sure why.
Want a pack of smokes? No problem. You can find them in the nooks and crannies of most convenience stores and supermarkets. But if you, as an adult, want to buy a vape? No way.
I confess I used to be a heavy smoker. I’ve been around smokes all my life. When we went to a family event, there were always people in the backyard with cigarettes. My kids grew up watching my partner and I smoke, and one of them started smoking too. Smoking was a generational thing for me. And I know how hard it is to try to kick the habit for good.
Vapes are a legitimate way for people to get off cigarettes and stop smoking for good. I’ve seen it happen. I’ve seen members of my family go from 40-a-day smokers to not using any inhaling products at all. And there are thousands of stories across the country just like this.
Labor says people who want vapes to quit smoking will be able to get one via a prescription.
But with a lack of GP appointments available and an unwillingness from doctors to prescribe vapes, I’m not convinced people who want or need one will have access to them. The kicker is that cigarettes will still be available for anyone over the age of 18 to buy whenever they feel like it. It’s like saying that we have rules around the sale of alcohol, but we won’t allow vodka cruisers to be sold in bottle shops because they’re marketed to young people.
We have laws in place to regulate the sale of cigarettes. We have rules around the packaging they’re allowed to have and at what age people are allowed to buy them. We’re not saying that you have to get a script from your doctor to buy a pack of cigarettes.
Going down the yellow brick road of banning vapes will lead to one of two things. We’ll likely see a large number of people taking up smoking again. It’ll push more money to big tobacco, something Labor reckons it’s preventing by banning vapes. We might be in a cost-of-living crisis, but if you smoke or know someone who does, you know they’ll find money for smokes above anything else.
The other option is that it creates a thriving black market. You can get a vape from China for $2 and sell it here in Australia for $30. That means there’s no regulation on what’s in the vape or the juices, and you don’t have any idea what you’re buying. We’re actively creating an environment for criminal activity to grow.
That’s why I’m all for regulation over banning. It would raise money to put back into healthcare and there would be clear rules around packaging and advertising.
Adults should be allowed to vape if they want to. Sure it’s not good for you, but neither is alcohol, coffee or sugar – I don’t see the Government trying to ban them. Australia shouldn’t become a nanny state. As adults, we should have the freedom to make our own choices. Even the ones we know are bad for ourselves.
Vaping won’t help everyone stop smoking. But I’ve seen it work with people I love, and I know there are so many other stories out there just like theirs. It would be hypocritical of me to say it’s good enough for my loved ones, but not allow anyone else to have that choice.