Will banning vapes cause more issues? | SBS Insight

Retail vape sales may be banned in Australia this year. Is this simply the new frontier of an old war? And could prohibition actually work? Insight explores this question with guests including Pam, whose husband died at age 71, with his autopsy revealing his condition could be linked to extended vape use before his death. Lilly’s vaping habit became extreme, leading to multiple hospitalisations for pneumonia. It took her three years of attempts to finally quit. Dragan was a lifelong smoker and says his health was deteriorating before he turned to vaping. He believes vaping is a healthier continuation of his addiction. Kirra was mortified to find her youngest daughter, Abi, vaping at only 10 years old. Although Abi no longer vapes, Kirra, who has struggled with her own nicotine addiction, still worries about how easily kids can get their hands on vapes. Terence is a 26-year-old tradie who was quitting smoking by vaping but has now returned to smoking following issues with his gut health. Rochelle is the principal of a high school on the Gold Coast and has observed a rise in vape use among students since 2019 and believes it's an epidemic. Alec picked up smoking as a teenager and absolutely regrets it. Despite this, he feels that vaping has saved his health. Kylie says that the prescription model is going to be impossible in rural areas and she will turn to the black market. She knows it is not ideal for her health, but nothing has ever helped her quit smoking. Former Border Force official Rohan says that police and government agencies have more important things to be working on than policing the illicit vape and tobacco trade. Alec says that since the border crackdown, while stock is in high supply, he’s now bulk buying a lot of vapes at a time. Dr. Carolyn is a GP who runs an online business that allows people to quickly and easily pay for vape prescriptions.
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Insight, hosted by Kumi Taguchi, is Australia's leading forum for powerful first-person stories offering a unique perspective on the way we live.
Insight first went to air in 1995 and has since been a mainstay of SBS current affairs programming. The team doesn't shy away from taboo topics: from polygamy, to brain implants, to the secrets revealed on the deathbed.
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