Australia will ban imports of disposable vapes from Jan. 1 next year, the government said on Nov. 28, slamming the devices as recreational products that children can become addicted to.
The block on single-use vapes is aimed at reversing a “disturbing” increase in vaping among young people, Australian Health Minister Mark Butler said.
Australia first revealed the import ban in May but had not given a start date until now.
Photo: AP 照片:美聯社
Vaping had been sold to governments as a tool to help long-term smokers quit, Butler said.
“It was not sold as a recreational product, especially not one targeted to our kids, but that is what it has become,” the minister said.
“The great majority of vapes contain nicotine, and children are becoming addicted.”
Photo: Reuters 照片:路透
About one in seven children aged 14-17 uses vapes, the government said in a statement.
It cited “consistent evidence” that young Australians who vape are about three times more likely to take up tobacco smoking.
Legislation will also be introduced next year to outlaw the manufacture, advertising or supply of disposable vapes in Australia, the government said.
The ban was hailed by the Australian Medical Association.
“Australia has been a world leader in reducing smoking rates and the subsequent health harms, so the government’s decisive action to stop vaping in its tracks and prevent further harm is very welcome,” said association president Steve Robson.
‘Dangerous gateway’
The government said it was also introducing a scheme to enable doctors and nurses to prescribe vapes “where clinically appropriate” from Jan. 1.
Australia has a long record of fighting smoking.
In 2012, it became the first country to introduce “plain packaging” laws for cigarettes — a policy since copied by France, Britain and others.
High taxes have pushed up the price of a packet to about Aus$50 (US$33).
For some people who would otherwise never have smoked, vaping is a “dangerous gateway” to tobacco, said Kim Caudwell, senior lecturer in psychology at Australia’s Charles Darwin University.
“So you can understand how at the population level, increased vaping and a resurgence of tobacco use will impact population health in the future.”
Neighboring New Zealand until recently stood alongside Australia at the forefront of the battle against smoking.
But its new conservative coalition government, which took power last month, has now promised to scrap a so-called “generational smoking ban” that would have stopped sales of tobacco to anyone born after 2008.
“I was absolutely shocked and appalled. It is one of the worst days I can remember for public health,” University of Otago tobacco control expert Richard Edwards told AFP.
“It is public health vandalism.”
(AFP)
澳洲政府11月28日表示,將自明年1月1日起禁止進口拋棄式電子煙,並抨擊說這種裝置是讓兒童上癮的消遣產品。
衛生部長馬克‧巴特勒表示,禁止拋棄式電子煙是為了要扭轉年輕人吸電子煙「令人不安」的成長趨勢。
澳洲先在五月公布了進口禁令,但直到現在才給出禁令生效之日期。
巴特勒說,電子煙賣給政府是用作幫助長期吸菸者戒菸的工具。
「它不是當作消遣產品來賣的,尤其不是要賣給我們的孩子,但已經變這樣了」,部長表示。
「絕大多數的電子煙都含有尼古丁,孩子們正在上癮」。
政府在聲明中表示,14至17歲的兒童大約有七分之一在吸電子煙。
它引用了「一致的證據」,顯示吸電子煙的澳洲年輕人,之後抽菸的可能性約為其他人的三倍。
政府表示,2024年還將推出立法,禁止在澳洲製造、廣告或供應拋棄式電子煙。
澳洲醫學協會對此進口禁令表示歡迎。
協會主席史提夫‧羅布森表示:「澳洲在降低吸菸率及其所造成之健康危害方面一直處於世界領先地位,因此政府制止電子煙並防止進一步危害的果斷行動是非常受歡迎的」。
「危險的門戶」
政府表示,它還推出了一項計畫,使醫生和護士能夠從1月1日起「在臨床適當的情況下」開立電子煙處方。
澳洲在打擊吸煙方面有著悠久的記錄。
2012年,它成為第一個引入香菸「素面包裝」〔又稱「全菸害警示包裝」〕法律的國家—這項政策後來被法國、英國和其他國家仿效。
所課的重稅,已將菸品的價格推高至每包約50澳元(33美元)。
澳洲查爾斯達爾文大學心理學高級講師金‧考德威爾表示,對於一些原本不吸菸的人來說,電子煙是通往菸草的「危險門戶」。
「因此,我們可以了解在人口層面上,電子煙的增加與菸草再度興起將會如何影響未來的人口健康」。
直到不久前,鄰國紐西蘭還跟澳洲一起站在對抗吸煙的最前線。
但是,上個月剛上台的紐西蘭保守派聯合政府現已承諾廢除所謂的「無菸世代」禁令,該政策禁止將菸草銷售給2008年以後出生的任何人。
「我感到非常震驚膽寒。這是我有記憶以來公共衛生最黑暗的日子之一」。奧塔哥大學菸草控制專家理查‧愛德華茲告訴法新社。
「這是對公共衛生的破壞行為」。
(台北時報林俐凱編譯)
A: Hey, didn’t you go to the opening of the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang last week? B: Yeah, there are about 300 shops, including the first overseas branch of Japan’s Mahou Dokoro — a famous Harry Potter-themed store. A: Wow, I’ve always wanted to get a magic wand. B: There are also a bunch of great restaurants, such as Smart Fish hotpot restaurant. A: I wish I had Harry Potter’s “apparition” and “disapparition” magic, so I could teleport to the mall right now. A: 你上週不是有去LaLaport南港的盛大開幕嗎?有什麼特別的? B: 那裡有多達300家專櫃,包括魔法之地的海外首店——它可是日本知名的《哈利波特》專賣店。 A: 哇我一直想買根魔杖。 B: 另外還有各式各樣的美食,像是林聰明沙鍋魚頭。 A: 真希望我也有哈利波特的「現影術/消影術」魔法,能瞬間移動到商場去! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)
When it comes to movies, some people delight in watching spine-chilling horror films. Surprisingly, apart from containing a few scares, horror movies may also offer an unexpected __1__. According to a study, watching 90 minutes of a scary movie can burn an average of 113 calories, which is roughly __2__ to taking a 30-minute walk. Researchers from the University of Westminster carried out an experiment in which they __3__ participants’ oxygen intake, carbon dioxide output, and heart rates while they were watching horror movies without any distractions. The results revealed that physiological responses to fear play a crucial role
Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 Echo pulled out a worn and tattered shoe box under father’s large oak desk. “Mariko, what should we do with these family photos?” Mariko stared at the old box with a slightly hurt expression, and then blankly at the photos. “Throw them in the garbage pile. . . along with that old, ratty box,” she murmured. She resented that her father had not cared enough to find a nicer home for the family photos. “Father never really cared about me anyway.” Echo’s emotion sensor detected sorrow. ”Mariko, that is
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看,這句話英語該怎麼說? 1. 你覺得這部電影怎樣? ˇ What do you think of the movie? χ How do you like the movie? χ How do you think of the movie? 註︰What do you think of = What is your opinion of。 think 的受詞是 what,不能用 how。 2. 你認為哪一個歌星唱得最好? ˇ Which singer do you think is the best? χ Do you think which singer is the best? 註︰英語中 which singer 似乎是 do you think 的受詞,實則 do you think 是插入語,其他例子如下: 你以為他喜歡誰? Who do you think he likes? 你以為我住在哪裏? Where do you think I live? 你想我昨天在公園裏碰到了誰? Whom/Who do you think I met in the park yesterday? 3. 他不論到什麼地方,總是帶著一把雨傘。 ˇ No matter where he goes, he