The use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) by young people is increasing, with one in five revealing they have tried vaping out of curiosity.
An Australian Bureau of Statistics study showed 21.7% of people aged 18-24 have used an e-cigarette, or vape device, at least once.
Of those who had tried e-cigarettes, 18% used them at least monthly and 9% used them daily.
The data also revealed adults aged 18-24 use vaping devices more than any other age group, with almost three quarters of those who admitted to vaping saying they did so out of curiosity.
University of Wollongong PhD candidate Caitlin Jenkins has been researching the contents of e-cigarettes for the past two years with the Kelso-Moller group.
Their research shows disposable e-cigarettes contain more nicotine compared to many of the e-liquids that were available prior to 2021.
“So far, all of the devices that we have tested that do not mention nicotine on their packaging actually contain high concentrations of nicotine, usually above 40 milligrams per millilitre, or 4 percent” Ms Jenkins said.
“Since the introduction of the Standard for Nicotine Vaping Products in October 2021, which formalised the requirement for a prescription for any e-cigarettes containing nicotine, any mention of the word nicotine has been removed from the disposable e-cigarettes and their packaging.”
A vape that contains 4000 ‘puffs’ has roughly the nicotine equivalent to two packets of cigarettes, however, due to the frequent mis-labelling of contents on vape packets, it is difficult to ascertain how much nicotine a vape actually contains.
Vaping has been a hot topic in the NSW state election campaign, with the Coalition, Labor and the Greens all vowing to address current legislation on vapes in the state.
E-cigarettes that do not contain nicotine are legal to purchase in New South Wales. Buying e-cigarettes and vapes that contain nicotine must be done with a government approved prescription.
While smoking in any form is banned at the University of Wollongong, there are at least 10 shops students can buy vapes from within a 10km radius of the main campus.
