Young Australians throwing away illegal vapes as prices soar
Prices for the fruity-flavoured puffers illegally sold at tobacco and corner stores have risen from about $25 to between $50 and $60 since the middle of last year when Labor introduced one of the strictest public health measures of its term by banning vapes – they are now only legally purchased as anti-smoking aids at pharmacies – and clamping down on importation.
Officials have since seized 8 million illegal vapes at the border, mostly manufactured in China and sold under popular brand names Alibarbar and iGet. While they can still be bought, the higher prices and reduced supply has combined with school-level warnings to bring down smoking rates.
The rate of vaping has halved to 18 per cent among 18-24-year-olds from early 2023 to now, according to new data from the Cancer Council's Generation Vape report, the most comprehensive survey on vaping in Australia.
Among 14-17-year-olds, the rate of vaping was rapidly rising in recent years but started to drop in the last quarter of last year, falling from 17 per cent to 15.5 per cent. The respondents are asked of their experiences in a mix of surveys and long-form interviews funded by the council and government agencies.
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That drop-off among teens is backed by data from health authorities in South Australia, which showed vaping rates in the 30-to-59 age group had dropped by about half from 2023 to this year, and by about one-third for South Australians aged between 15 and 29.
The number of schoolkids in SA being suspended for vaping declined by 50 per cent from the first term of 2023 when there were 388 suspensions compared to 186 in term four last year.
'The vaping legislation has really changed the game,' said Alecia Brooks of the Cancer Council.
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