AACS: CHANGE IN CLASSIFICATION CRUCIAL TO ECIGARETTE SUCCESS

September 7, 2016: The Australasian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) has joined a chorus of leading health experts, academics and researchers in calling for low levels of nicotine to be permitted in eCigarettes to enable these products to benefit adult consumers wishing to cut down – or quit – smoking.
The AACS was one of over 40 high profile bodies to recently make a submission to the Therapeutic Goods Administration calling for a change in how nicotine is classified under the Poisons Standard, so low concentrations of nicotine may be used in electronic cigarettes as a safer alternative to smoking.
AACS CEO Jeff Rogut said the change is important because it would recognise that eCigarettes are a much safer alternative to smoking and have a real role to play in helping some smokers kick the habit.
“There is a groundswell of health professionals and experts from around the world calling for greater transparency and a proper framework to facilitate the sale of legal eCigarettes in recognition that they are among the most widely used and effective products to help people quit smoking,” Mr Rogut said.
“ECigarettes are one of a range of alternatives to reduce smoking and if they have the potential to help even a proportion of smokers to reduce or quit the habit, then we need to give them a chance to succeed. We urgently need to develop a framework for the responsible sale of eCigarettes in Australia before the black market takes over.
“We risk being left behind in an international sense if don’t make these products available to people who could benefit from their use,” Mr Rogut said.
Irrespective of any change in classification for nicotine as it relates to eCigarettes, Mr Rogut said the AACS supports a range of control measures to ensure the safe legal sale of eCigarettes.
These include restrictions in sales to minors, ensuring eCigarettes and associated products are child tamper proof, contain an ingredients list, comply with quality standards and are manufactured and sold with strict safety standards in place.
“The AACS believes more, not less, alternatives are required to encourage people to quit smoking. More than just eCigarettes, this extends to other safe stop-smoking products such as nicotine gums and patches as well,” Mr Rogut said.
“Convenience stores are proven responsible retailers of restricted products like lottery tickets and tobacco and are ideally placed to responsibly selling eCigarettes too, providing adult consumers a healthier, safer choice,” he said.
Earlier this year, Public Health England and numerous other UK public health organisations released a joint statement on developing a public health consensus on e-cigarettes, products they state “are the most popular quitting tool in the country with more than 10 times as many people using them than using local stop smoking services”.
Further information:
Jeff Rogut
Chief Executive Officer
Australasian Association of Convenience Stores
Ph: +61 467 873 789
Media enquiries:
Stephen Naylor
Wise McBaron Communication
Ph: +61 (2) 9279 4770