Vaping among young people—Our best defence is self‐defence

Abstract

AbstractUse of electronic cigarettes (e‐cigarettes or ‘vapes’) has risen rapidly among young Australians in recent years. To combat this, on 2 May 2023, the Albanese Government announced a suite of reforms to reduce the desirability and accessibility of e‐cigarettes to young people—including a ban on disposable e‐cigarettes, restricting flavours, colours and nicotine content and requiring pharmaceutical‐like packaging. While many have welcomed this announcement, the efficacy of such reforms in reducing the availability of e‐cigarettes to young people remain to be seen, particularly given the current prescription‐only model has done little to curb youth vaping. We argue that, in an uncertain landscape where e‐cigarettes will likely remain accessible and desirable to young people, it is critical that we also upskill, empower and arm our young people with the skills, resilience, resources and knowledge to make informed and positive health decisions so that: (i) fewer young people opt to take up vaping (primary prevention); and (ii) among those who already do vape, more seek help earlier on to reduce or cease their use before dependency develops (secondary prevention). Schools are an ideal setting for the delivery of these programs, where they can be delivered en masse, integrated into existing alcohol and other drug programs and aligned with school curricula. Skills‐based school prevention programs have demonstrated significant and sustained reductions in drug‐related harms up to 7 years post‐intervention. For as long as vapes remain widely available, desirable and purposefully marketed towards young people, we believe our best defence is self‐defence.