Hannah Hammoud
In Brimbank vapes are being sold in close proximity to schools and are easily accessible to children and young people, a new study reveals.
The Western Public Health Unit’s ‘Out and About: Snapshot of e-cigarette accessibility in Brimbank’ investigation set out to map the number, type and location of retailers selling e-cigarettes in Brimbank.
Across 17 field trips in June 2023, 59 retailers in Brimbank were found to be selling e-cigarettes, including tobacco and liquor stores as well as grocery, convenience, fuel, cafe and food stores. The investigation found that 70 per cent of schools were located less than 1km from the nearest retailer selling vapes.
Director of the Western Public Health Unit Dr Finn Romanes said that of the retailers identified, only a minority were dedicated tobacco and vaping stores that are restricted to serving adults.
The investigation revealed that two-thirds of the stores were non-tobacco stores that are accessible to children and young people under 18 years, with vapes alongside everyday items on shelves.
“Selling e-cigarettes in cafes and grocery stores normalises the sale to children and young people of a potentially addictive and harmful product that can act as a gateway to smoking tobacco. We found e-cigarettes were on wide display, presented appealingly with enticing flavours on offer like candy and ice cream,” Dr Romanes said.
“Although it is illegal to sell nicotine-containing vapes outside of a prescription, young people and their parents may not know that the majority of e-cigarettes on sale in retailers are deliberately mislabelled and actually contain addictive nicotine, as well as hundreds of harmful chemicals. This means that even when the label on the e-cigarette states they don’t contain nicotine, the majority do.”
In response to the findings, Brimbank council said it is working hard to tackle the accessibility of e-cigarettes.
Council said it has undertaken inspections and education activities as part of the Municipal Association of Victoria Tobacco Education and Enforcement Program. Under this program, retailers are educated about their obligations to not sell tobacco and e-cigarettes to minors.
On November 28, federal Health Minister Mark Butler announced that the government will implement a ban on the importation of disposable single use vapes from January 1, 2024.
Brimbank mayor Ranka Rasic said council will tackle the issue in partnership with state health authorities, as well as state and federal regulators.
“Parents and other care-givers play an important role in keeping the lines of communication open with their child or teenager since they can have a positive influence on their attitudes toward using e-cigarettes and other nicotine products,” Cr Rasic said.
