As vapes find their way into the hands of children as young as primary school, a local principal has welcomed a federal government crackdown.
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On January 1, 2024, a new law came into force banning the import of disposable vapes which have become popular with teens, despite being illegal for them to buy.
Charles Gauci, executive principal of Dubbo College and deputy president of the NSW Secondary Principals Council, is among those applauding the move.
He said a ban on single-use vapes was a "very positive" step towards making it harder for young people to access vapes and e-cigarettes.
"I expect that the combined approaches of the bans, enforcement, and ongoing education and support of our students will have a very positive impact on addressing this serious threat to the health of those students using vapes or e-cigarettes," he told the Daily Liberal.
According to a federal government survey, disposable vapes which are readily accessible in stores and online are favoured by 80 per cent of school-aged vapers.
Initially marketed as a way for cigarette smokers to kick the habit, studies have shown vapes are getting young people who have never smoked hooked on nicotine.
Although it has been illegal to purchase nicotine vapes without a prescription since mid-2021, vapes are often incorrectly labelled as nicotine-free.
"Even when not labelled as containing nicotine, research has proven that the vast majority [of vapes] contain nicotine at very high levels, along numerous other dangerous chemicals," Mr Gauci said.
"Unfortunately, these products are often packaged and flavoured in ways that are obviously targeting young people.
"This is leading to a growing number of students using them and becoming addicted."
The 2021 to 2022 NSW Population Health Survey revealed 43.2 per cent of 16 to 24 year-olds have used a vape at least once - more than twice the rate in the two years prior.
In the same survey, 16.5 per cent of 16 to 24 year-olds admitted to being regular vapers, a significant increase from 11.1 per cent in the previous survey period.
And it's not just high-school-aged kids who've tried vapes.
According to records from the Education Department Incident Report and Support Hotline, in September 2022, a Dubbo West Public School student was caught "sucking on [a vape] in front of staff, students and community members" in the school hall.
Federal health minister Mark Butler said the disposable vape ban is "just the first chapter of the government's vaping reform".
From March 1, 2024, refillable non-therapeutic vapes will also be banned and tougher rules around flavours, nicotine concentration levels and packaging will be enforced
"Vaping is creating a whole new generation of nicotine dependency in our community, especially amongst young Australians," he said.
"If you vape, this new year make it your resolution to quit... the supply of vapes coming into Australia will gradually dry up over the course of 2024, for this reason we strongly encourage all recreational vapers to begin their journey of cessation."
