Vaping has been touted as a safer alternative to smoking and a helpful tool in helping people to quit smoking.
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This may be true.
But vaping, or e-cigarettes, also presents a genuine risk to young people developing an addiction to nicotine.
It is illegal to buy vaping products infused with nicotine in Australia without a prescription.
But it is also easy to head online and have nicotine-infused products delivered, circumventing restrictions.
Studies have shown those who take up vaping are more likely to take up tobacco smoking.
This is no risk-free alternative.
This is not cause for a moral panic but a critical moment to turn our community's attention to the health impact of vaping and a chance to stamp out misconceptions.
A national report highlighted that Horsham respondents have some of the highest prevalence of smoking in the state.
Australia's Health Report: when healthcare meets self-care, compared Victorian local government areas, and Horsham had the sixth-highest for smoking.
Almost one in four Horsham respondents reporting smoking.
But vaping rates appear to be rising.
In 2016, 1.5 per cent of residents aged 14 and older reported using e-cigarettes, while 2 per cent reported e-cigarette use in 2019.
Australia's track record in reducing smoking rates through well-developed public health initiatives is one the country can be proud of.
In the last three decades, the number of adults who smoke tobacco products each day in Australia has halved.
In 2001, just under half of the adults reported never smoking. In 2019, more than 60 per cent of adults said they had never smoked.
The average number of cigarettes current smokers report smoking each day has also fallen.
A review of plain packaging laws, which ban tobacco companies from displaying their branding in Australia, found the shift contributed to reducing smoking and passive smoking.
So it would be amiss for Australia to fall behind when it comes to tackling the emerging field of e-cigarettes.
With misconceptions clearly rife among students, parents and the wider community, there needs to be a renewed effort to warn of the potential dangers of e-cigarettes.
A full-throated public health campaign should be established to target schools and young people, highlighting the dangers of nicotine addiction and dispelling the myth that vaping is a healthy alternative to cigarettes.
The days of young people smoking at all could soon be over. It would be a crying shame if a new and potentially just as harmful habit were to take smoking's place.