July 3, 2024
A GROWING NEW MOVEMENT OF VAPERS ARE PUSHING BACK ON NEW GOVERNMENT LAWS ON VAPING
To be clear we are NOT a front group for anyone!
We are self-funded!
We are a grassroots movement!
We are the vapers of Australia!
In May this year, experienced vaper and tobacco harm reduction advocate Pippa Starr identified the need for Australian consumer vapers’ voices to be heard.
A growing number of adult vapers from diverse backgrounds across Australia are joining the ALIVE movement at a rapid rate!
This need was highlighted again during the recent senate inquiry into the Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Bill 2024, which passed with little to no consideration, let alone consultation, with the major stakeholders being the consumers!
We advocate for urgent change before the black market can get any worse than it is now. We understand that the government has lost sight of the target that they should be chasing regarding illicit vapes.
The government are claiming vaping is a new way that big tobacco is trying to enter the youth market, yet they are misguided and wrong! While we recognise that big tobacco has played awful games with Australians health in the past, the government must recognise that it is not big tobacco hooking another generation on nicotine, rather it is the black market.
The only big tobacco vapes available now are supported by the Australian Government TGA and are in chemists where pharmacists have made it well known that they really don’t want them there!
Already this week, we have seen the Pharmacy Guild highlight this issue as they explained in the media that all stakeholders need to come together to discuss and come up with a workable plan that will help smokers quit while keeping vapes out of the hands of the 6.7% of Australian youths who regularly vape.
The ALIVE Movement understands that every plan executed by the government over the last ten years on vaping has failed.
We recognise the need for urgent law reforms but not like what we are seeing right now.
We seek sensible, risk proportionate regulation where vaping products are legalised for retail sale in licenced vaping specialist stores.
The pharmacists have rejected the new “last minute” government laws on vaping and they clearly don’t want any part of it!
The black market rose due to a lack of sensible risk proportionate regulations. We want the firebombings and the supply of vapes to teens to stop. The risk to teens from being coerced into crime by the black market is also a consequence of a lack of sensible regulation!
The recent law changes were executed “on the run” and without fair and reasonable consideration for all stakeholders.
We are calling on the government for an urgent inquiry with the inclusion of all stakeholders and the ability to consider options out of the square of their favoured tax paid for non-government organisations.
We are calling on this to happen as a matter being treated as a public health emergency, to help develop sensible risk proportionate measures for vaping as soon as possible.
There are too many people already returning to smoking as a result of the most recent law changes that came into effect on July 1.
Health minister Mark Butler sold the most recent reforms on vaping to Australia as the solution that will work, instead since disposable vapes were banned on January 1 there appears to be no slowing down on supply of those across the country, it’s just more failure!
Every day that goes by that an urgent inquiry leading to sensible reform doesn’t happen means another teen is involved in crime, another tobacco/vape shop opens around the corner from a school, another firebombing occurs somewhere in Australia affecting livelihoods and communities and hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer’s money goes up in smoke!
This must end now!
If you would like to know more about the ALIVE Movement, you can enquire about us via ALIVEadvocacymovement.com
Or contact our Media Spokesperson Pippa Starr:
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