In Australia, cigarette use rose recently for the first time in well over a decade, leaving some concerned with the effectiveness of the strategies currently in practice to curb cigarette use in the country.
Colin Mendelsohn, a health academic at the University of the New South Wales (UNSW), was quoted by The Australian as having said that it needs to be accepted that “our punitive methods of taxing and coercing smokers are no longer working and we need other strategies,” to which he reportedly proposed lifting the ban on electronic cigarettes that’s preventing some smokers from switching to vaping — a notion which he added may help smokers reduce their lung cancer risk.
“We have to accept our punitive methods of taxing and coercing smokers are no longer working and we need other strategies.”
Mendelsohn referred to the recent rise in cigarette use is “a worrying reversal of a long-term trend,” which has up until now, been on a steady decline for numerous years.
“This is a worrying reversal of a long-term trend.”
According to official government data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, cigarette and tobacco consumption has risen for four consequence quarters since December of 2016, marking the first time such a trend has been seen since 2004.
What do you think, is it time for the Australian government to lift its ban on e-cigs?
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