New health data has exposed the alarming prevalence of vaping among school children in Queensland, prompting experts to demand stricter measures to curb access.
According to a report published last month by Queensland’s chief health officer, 35.6 per cent of high school students and nearly 20 per cent of adults have experimented with vaping at least once.
Purchasing vapes without a prescription became illegal on July 1.
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According to tobacco and nicotine expert associate professor Raglan Maddox, vape stores on the Gold Coast have begun to display signage indicating their compliance with the new regulations.
However, black-market vapes continue to be available on the street.
Experts gathered on the Gold Coast for the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference this week said the solution is simple: a comprehensive ban on all retail sales of vaping products.
“If people are serious about the harms that these products are generating, they’ll draw a line in the sand,” Maddox said.
This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.
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