The federal election in Australia is just around the corner, and the two leading candidates proposing to run its healthcare sector have been making their cases known at the National Press Club (NPC) debate. However, according to critics, it’s unfortunate that neither of them actually cares about the lives of smokers and none of them really appreciate what role vaping is playing in the bid to reduce tobacco-related diseases.
“The election offers a stark choice and it’s even worse when it comes to health policy,” said Catherine King, the Labour health spokesperson. “It is a choice between a Liberal Party with no agenda whatsoever and a Labour Party with a blossoming health agenda.”
Minister Greg Hunt who is the Liberal Health minister denied the statement and said that his party actually had a “national health plan that is even more long-term than we can imagine” as regards to building a strong economy.
The two candidates consider vaping as a “public health disaster.” They claim that it is just one of those things been promoted “by the tobacco lobby.” As proposed by Hunt, the use of e-liquids and mods was just a “ramp on, instead of being a way out of smoking.”
The Independent Vaper Group NT responded that the government representatives are just been misinformed. Smokers lives and Promotion of tobacco is not the focus or either of the parties.
With Catherine King MP or Greg Hunt MP as the ministers of health, legislation of vaping will never see the light of the day. They both believe in wrong ideas about vaping and have no interest of smokers at heart.
Legalise Vaping Australia (LVA) also commented: “at the debate, it doesn’t look like either Greg Hunt or Catherine King sees the potential to reduce tobacco-related diseases with vaping. Does it mean smokers who find it difficult to quit are better off smoking? We need regulation with sensible standards; and that is our call.”
LVA provided up to 64 studies to prove that smoke-free products such as vaping are less harmful compared to traditional cigarettes, and are a more effective way for smokers to quit for good.
The head of the Neuropsychopharmacology Unit at Imperial College, Professor David Nutt, recently spoke with ATHRA about his advice to smokers in Australia who finds it difficult to quit tobacco.
According to a recent report published by the journal Addictive Behaviours, Australia is still the only westernised democracy that doesn’t allow the sales, possession, or use of non-therapeutic nicotine-containing e-cigarettes.