Legalise Vaping Australia slams false claims of vaping being a gateway
A leading grassroots organisation, Legalise Vaping Australia, has today condemned media reports of a new study commissioned by mining magnate Andrew Twiggy Forrest that has falsely claimed that vaping acts as a “gateway” to smoking.
Legalise Vaping Australia Campaign Director, Brian Marlow, said: “All the evidence from long-standing and well-respected institutions such as the Royal College of Physicians, Cancer Research UK, and the American Cancer Institute, have all found that vaping is not a gateway to smoking. It does not encourage young people to take up smoking, in fact, all the evidence shows it helps people quit the most dangerous form of nicotine addiction: tobacco smoking.”
“Yet, we now see a mining billionaire commission a study to say the complete opposite. To suggest that one study could act as a smoking gun against the legalisation of vaping is ludicrous. Health bodies all around the world have reviewed the evidence extensively and have come to the same conclusion that vaping is safer and does not pose a threat of getting people to smoke,” Mr Marlow said.
Legalise Vaping Australia is committed to the legalisation of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes and personal vaporisers for one, clear reason: it helps people quit smoking.
“Vaping has got people off cigarettes in the EU, UK, US, Canada, New Zealand…. The list goes on. We hope Australia will follow suit,” Mr Marlow said.
Facts about Vaping:
- Vaping is 95% safer than smoking cigarettes
- According to the UK Department of Health, “the evidence does not support the concern that e-cigarettes are a route into smoking among young people.”
- Vaping offers a 60% better quit rate over going cold turkey
- In the UK alone, E-cigarettes could be contributing to at least 20,000 successful new quits per year and possibly many more.
- Nicotine vaping is legal in the US, Canada, NZ, the UK, and throughout the EU
- It is illegal to even possess nicotine vapes in all states and territories, with penalties of up to $45,000 and 2 years in prison.
For more information or to learn more about Legalise Vaping Australia, go to www.legalisevaping.com.au.
Brian Marlow
MEDIA CONTACT
Brian Marlow , Campaign Director, Legalise Vaping Australia , bmarlow@taxpayers.org.au +61 439 138 826