NT government continues to put smokers’ lives at risk

Legalise Vaping Australia today condemned a parliamentary report from the Northern Territory government which approves regulation of e-cigarettes or vapes in the same way as tobacco cigarettes, as it will put smokers’ lives at risk by making proven safer alternatives harder to access.

“Vapes are proven to be at least 95 percent less harmful than tobacco smoking and are recommended as a quit smoking aid and harm minimisation tool by health agencies in the UK where smoking prevalence has fallen sharply in recent years.” Said Brian Marlow, Director of LV-A.

“It is disappointing that their government has chosen to ignore international best practice in public health despite being home to the country’s highest smoking rates. Their decision to make these devices harder for smokers to access, will only benefit large, multinational tobacco companies while subjecting more Territorians to the risk of cancer and premature death.

“The NT government claims that vaping could renormalise smoking, yet adult and teenage smoking prevalence in the USA and UK, where vapes are widely available, are in freefall and a vast majority of those taking up vapes are smokers trying to quit.

“Over 6.1 million smokers in the EU, 3.2 million in the US and 2.8 million in England, have quit smoking by switching to vapes. Switching completely delivers health benefits including reduced blood pressure, better lung function and fewer respiratory infections.

“Why should Aussie and Territorian smokers trying to improve their health be denied the same rights afforded to those in other countries?”