AL Gor 25 February 2025
The Australian government and its health agencies are celebrating what they claim is a “world-leading” victory against vaping. Their evidence? A recent SAHMRI study showed declining vaping rates among young South Australians. But before we roll out the red carpet, let’s take a closer look at what this means—and the catastrophic harm their anti-vaping crusade is likely to cause.
A Hollow “Success”
SAHMRI’s data allegedly shows a decline in vaping among 15 to 29-year-olds and 30 to 59-year-olds. But they fail to mention the most critical question: what are these former vapers doing now? Have they stopped using nicotine altogether? Or far more likely have they returned to smoking, which we know is significantly more harmful than vaping?
The answer is yes, they are!!
Without clear evidence showing that these people quit nicotine entirely rather than switching back to cigarettes, this research is meaningless. If the goal of public health is to reduce harm, then reducing vaping by increasing smoking is a policy failure of the highest order. But of course, that’s the one thing SAHMRI and the government refuse to discuss.
The “Vape Epidemic” Myth
The ministers and researchers behind this campaign continue to push the tired, debunked claim that vaping is creating a generation of nicotine addicts. They rely on the classic moral panic playbook: cherry-picked anecdotes of teenagers hiding vapes under their pillows, combined with ominous warnings about “heavy metals” and “hundreds of chemicals.” But where is the context? Where is the comparison to smoking, which contains thousands of toxic chemicals and is responsible for over 8 million deaths per year globally? The reality is that vaping is at least 95% safer than smoking—a fact supported by extensive research from Public Health England and other independent bodies.
The real epidemic here isn’t vaping—it’s the deliberate misinformation being spread by governments and so-called public health experts.
“World-Leading” or World-Failing?
Minister Butler calls Australia’s vape ban a “world-leading reform.” But what exactly is it leading the world in?
Black Market Growth: Prohibition doesn’t eliminate demand—it simply pushes it underground. The ban on legal vape sales has led to an explosion in illicit, unregulated products, with unknown ingredients and no quality control.
Smoker Relapse: Vapers who relied on legal, regulated products are now left with two choices: return to smoking or turn to the black market.
Youth Access Increases: The very thing this policy was supposed to stop—underage access—is now easier than ever. When vape shops were regulated, minors had far less access than they do now, when dealers are selling them next to illicit drugs with zero age verification.
Is this really something to be proud of?
The Anti-Vaping Agenda: More About Power Than Public Health
Australia’s war on vaping has never been about science—it’s about control. Governments and public health officials refuse to acknowledge the overwhelming evidence that vaping is the most effective tool for adult smokers to quit. Instead, they’re clinging to outdated, prohibitionist policies that have already failed with alcohol and drugs.
Meanwhile, Big Pharma continues to profit from ineffective nicotine patches and gums, while cigarette sales are conveniently left untouched. Is it really a coincidence that anti-vaping hysteria benefits the same industries that stand to lose billions if vaping is widely adopted?
The Real Public Health Approach
If the Australian government genuinely cared about public health, they would regulate vaping as a safer alternative to smoking, ensuring quality control and access for adult smokers who need it. Instead, they are demonising harm reduction and putting lives at risk.
SAHMRI and the politicians behind this “victory” should ask themselves: when smoking rates inevitably rise as a result of their failed policies, will they take responsibility? Or will they simply double down on their anti-vaping propaganda?
Vapers, harm reduction advocates, and anyone who truly values public health must continue to push back against this misguided and dangerous war on vaping. The truth is on our side. We just need to make sure people hear it.