Community Health First submission to inquiry into vaping and tobacco controls

Community Health First submission to inquiry into vaping and tobacco controls

In Victoria, community health organisations are funded to provide place-based health promotion activities that respond to the needs of their local communities. Community health organisations are seeing a substantial increase in the use of e-cigarettes in the community. As a result, there has been a surge in requests for targeted vaping education and awareness programs from schools and local government. Similarly, primary care services have also experienced an increase in individuals requesting nicotine addiction support. This increased demand for support has not always been met with an increase in services and in many areas extensive waitlists to access such services are now apparent.

While new legislative and regulatory reform to address vaping are welcome (including import restriction, intention to restrict supply, and a tobacco retail license scheme in Victoria), Community Health First is urging the government to ensure that such legislative changes are combined with local health responses. As access to vaping products is limited, Community Health First anticipates an increase in request for addition support and an increase in tobacco use in place of vaping products. The government must ensure that health workers are educated and equipped to support people with vaping addictions alongside adequate investment in health promotion activities to limit the uptake of tobacco.

Community Health First’s submission focuses on how community health has responded to the growing impacts of vaping on local communities, lessons learned to date, and critical areas for future investment in health promotion and prevention funding to tackle emerging community needs.