Rob began smoking when he was 17 and has solely within the final six months kicked his behavior after a buddy gave him a vape.
The 60-year-old truck driver admitted he’s hooked on vaping however mentioned he makes use of e-cigarettes lower than he’d smoke.
“I spend about 20 bucks every week now on vapes and I really feel so a lot better,” he informed the 9 radio station.
“It was straightforward, I by no means needed a cigarette since.”
“I can let you know now, if Albanese desires to take these vapes away, I will find yourself going again to smoking sitting within the cab all day driving,” he mentioned.
“It is only a nightmare and I am apprehensive.”
Below the federal government crackdown, Rob may nonetheless entry a vape if he visited a health care provider to get a prescription for a pharmaceutical one.
Though it has beforehand been troublesome to entry a script for a vape to quit smoking from a health care provider with just one in 20 medical doctors authorised to do it, the federal government is promising to streamline the method.
“We expect this has to vary,” Well being Minister Mark Butler mentioned.
“It can require eradicating the restrictions on medical doctors prescribing so that each one medical doctors can write a script for individuals who really want it.”
However the one distinction is the vape will not be flavoured like the present disposable e-cigarettes.
The federal government’s primary sport is to deal with vaping amongst younger folks, particularly school-aged youngsters.
“Vaping has now develop into the primary behavioural challenge in excessive colleges and it’s changing into widespread in main colleges as effectively,” he mentioned.
“Over the previous 12 months, Victoria’s poisons hotline has taken 50 calls about youngsters underneath the age of 4 ingesting vapes. Below the age of 4.”
Vaping is the “largest loophole in Australian healthcare historical past” and banning disposable vapes which are simply disguised by faculty youngsters is a key a part of the crackdown, Butler added.
“These are speculated to be pharmaceutical merchandise in order that they must current that manner, no extra bubble gum flavours, pink unicorns or vapes disguised as highlighter pens for youths to cover of their pencil circumstances,” Butler mentioned.
The federal authorities additionally plans to crack down to extend the tax on tobacco merchandise to minimise smoking in Australia.
The excise on tobacco will improve by 5 per cent over the subsequent three years producing greater than $3 billion in tax income.
This may improve the worth of a packet of cigarettes by about $10 to just about $50 a pack inside 4 years.
