SMOKING SOLUTION?

Controversial new research has identified that vaping nicotine is an effective quitting aid for smokers.

Vaping nicotine is illegal in Australia but last week the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners supported the practice to help quit smoking.

Tobacco treatment specialist Dr Colin Mendelsohn said an assessment of the potential for vaping to reduce smoking rates was positive.

“The study found vaping is more effective than other quitting aids and is the most popular quitting method in most countries where it is available,” he said.

“This contrasts with Australia with restrictive vaping policies where the smoking rate has remained largely unchanged for the past six years.” Health Minister Roger Cook said smoking cessation products lawfully available for sale in Australia had to be registered with the Therapeutic Goods Administration for safety and efficacy reasons.

“To date, the TGA has not approved any e-cigarette product as a therapeutic good to help smokers quit,” he said.

Last Month, Mr Cook ordered an urgent review into the safety of non-nicotine flavoured vaping and e-cigarettes but Busso Vape director Trinite Williams said Mr Cook’s assessment was “uneducated”. Mr Williams said vaping had helped himself and others to quit smoking.

“The addiction is always going to be there but it’s about how we stem that addiction through the thought process we have,” he said.