Over the year, we made significant progress towards reducing the harmful effects of smoking and vaping.
In May, we welcomed the introduction of the National Tobacco Strategy 2023, which aims to reduce the prevalence of daily smoking in Australia from around 11 per cent to less than five per cent by 2030.
We also welcomed Federal Government reforms, including the landmark Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Bill 2023, to prevent and further reduce harm caused by tobacco and other products, including e-cigarettes. Australia will now see legislation in place to underpin our renewed fight against tobacco and protect the next generation from the devastating impacts of smoking.
These legislative changes couldn’t come soon enough as we’ve seen 77,200 Victorian adults who have previously never smoked take up vaping in the last three years. More than half of the people vaping are aged under 30, with smoking rates in 14 to 17-year-olds tripling from 2018 to 2022, rising in tandem with teen vaping which rose 12-fold in the same time-frame.
“We have watched in horror as e-cigarette use by young people in Victoria has rapidly increased. Just when smoking rates among teenagers were approaching zero, we have seen a new vaping epidemic take off like wildfire,” said Rachael Andersen, Quit Director.
In response to the rising use of e-cigarettes and vaping, Cancer Council Victoria and Quit launched the first Victorian vaping education campaign, ‘See through the Haze’ and the online hub ‘Get the facts on vaping’, which is designed to support parents and teens on their journey to quit.
The campaign equipped people with evidence-informed vaping facts. Initial evaluation has shown that the advertisement made 54 per cent of Victorians aged 14 to 39 years feel fearful when considering the consequences of vaping.
“We will continue to advocate for important legislative change and deliver programs that create healthy environments for all,” said Ms Anderson.
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