Horror as Melbourne mum finds illegal vape pen inside her seven-year-old’s school bag
A Melbourne mother is shocked to find an illegal vape pen in her seven-year-old’s school bag.
Paige had initially mistook the device for a “sour lollipop” because of the bright colors and illustrations she believed were used to appeal to children.
However, after some research, she discovered that it was a vape pen that contained a whopping 50mg of nicotine, roughly the same amount as five cigarettes.
“How can cigarette packs be required to label nicotine use and have hideous graphics on them when vapes just look like lollipops?” Paige told 9News†
Melbourne mother Paige had initially mistook the device (pictured) for a ‘sour lollipop’ due to the bright colors and illustrations she claimed were used to appeal to children
Good news for the concerned mom: Her young son hadn’t used the vape and just took it home after finding it on the basketball courts of his school (stock photo of school children)
Good news for the concerned mom: Her young son hadn’t used the vape and had just taken it home after finding it on the basketball courts of his school.
She said her son thought it was a lollipop too.
When she told the school principal about the discovery, they said similar incidents had been reported with older students leaving the vapes on school grounds.
Paige is just one of hundreds of concerned parents across the country who are concerned that the devices are harming the health and well-being of their children.
While vape pens are illegal in Australia, a thriving black market means teens can buy them without a prescription through channels such as social media.
The colorful e-cigarettes are available in different flavors and because of their compact size they can easily be stored in trouser pockets or school bags.
However, experts warn that some pens contain as much nicotine as ten cigarettes and can cause adverse effects such as heart and lung problems and even seizures.
Top doctor Kerry Chant has declared war on illegal vaping with more than $1 million worth of e-cigarettes and liquids seized this year (pictured, a woman smoking an electric cigarette)
Since July 1, 2020, more than $3 million worth of illegal vaping and vaping products has been seized in a series of raids (pictured, a display of flavored electric cigarettes)
Earlier this month, a “perfectly healthy” teenager suffered a massive dose of nicotine while vaping in his school’s toilets.
The student was rushed to hospital after being found at Blue Mountains Grammar and has recovered, but may have long-term brain damage.
Last October, the federal government banned the importation of nicotine pens into Australia or its sale to anyone without a prescription due to concerns about the chemicals in the popular products.
The decision was widely scrutinized at the time and experts suggested it will do little to stop the extensive use of vaping in Australia.
There are approximately 700,000 vapers across the country, making it one of the most lucrative markets for manufacturers and distributors in the world.
However, in the eight months since the ban, Border Force members have intercepted and seized nearly 250,000 of the devices.
Teens have been warned about the dangers of vaping after research showed young people thought vaping was a healthier alternative to smoking cigarettes (pictured, a vape pen)
In May, NSW police said they had seized $3 million vapes as of July 2020.
NSW Health also waged a war on e-cigarettes with health official Kerry Chant in May, where she warned she would take a “zero tolerance approach” to suppliers.
†[NSW Health is] crack down on the illegal sale of nicotine e-cigarettes and liquids and take a zero-tolerance approach to those who sell them,” she said.
Retailers have been notified and warned that they will be punished with heavy fines or jail time if they violate the regulations.
“You will be caught, illegal items will be confiscated and you could be prosecuted, resulting in a fine or even jail time,” said Dr Chant.
Individuals face a $11,000 fine for the first violation and a $55,000 fine for the second, while companies pay $55,000 the first time and $110,000 the second.
The NSW chief health officer (pictured in April) said she was taking a ‘zero tolerance approach’ to vapes containing nicotine sold illegally in stores
dr. Chant said too many young people were unaware of the true nature of vaping and simply believed they were “flavored water.”
She said the pens contained chemicals so toxic they could cause life-threatening injuries to the smoker.
An anti-vaping campaign was launched in NSW after global research showed that young people often think vaping is a healthier alternative to smoking.
The Get The Facts – Vaping toolkit is aimed at students aged 14-17 and provides teachers and caregivers with tools to start conversations about the dangers of vaping.
About 11 percent of Australians between the ages of 16 and 24 consider themselves regular vape users, double that of 2020.
One in three vapes sold in Australia contain illegal amounts of banned chemicals and can cause dangerous illnesses including ‘popcorn lung’
Banned levels of ingredients linked to harmful lung diseases, such as ‘popcorn lung’, have been found in nearly a third of vapes sold in Australia.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration found that 31 percent of the 214 e-cigarettes it analyzed had chemical concentrations that exceeded the legal limit.
Those substances include the additives vitamin E acetate and diacetyl, which have been widely associated with a rare condition called bronchiolitis obliterans, which damages the small airways in the lungs.
The disease is nicknamed “popcorn lung” because diacetyl used to be added to microwave popcorn as a dye.
Pictured is an X-ray showing the effects of ‘popcorn lung’ – which has been widely associated with vaping
The TGA also found that all 190 nicotine vape products it tested violated new labeling rules designed to warn customers of the potential dangers.
A spokesman for the government agency said the banned ingredients are known to cause lung damage in the form of bronchiolitis obliterans and EVALI.
EVALI — which stands for e-cigarette or vape product-use-associated lung injury — is believed to be caused by vapes containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a psychoactive compound also found in marijuana, and vitamin E acetate.
Federal legislation introduced last October imposed minimum safety standards for nicotine vapors imported from abroad and made warning labels mandatory.
Australian teens addicted to addictive e-cigarettes urged to stop vaping immediately as thousands of pens are sold every day despite nationwide bans
The law also made it illegal to buy nicotine vapes without a prescription.
According to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the new laws should reduce the risk of nicotine vaping in young adults, while also giving current smokers access to the products to help them quit smoking.
There are still two ways that prescription holders can obtain nicotine vaping products in Australia; from a pharmacy or import from foreign websites.
Prescriptions can only be written by one of the 80 authorized prescribers, or by a physician approved under the TGA’s Special Access Schedule B.
An authorized prescriber of nicotine vaporization products must be a primary care physician registered with the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
Despite the disapproval of vaping advocates, the new laws are supported by the Australian Council on Smoking and Health (ACOSH).
“ACOSH strongly supports any measure that will effectively halt the flow of illicit disposable e-cigarettes to Australia, which are being used by an increasing number of children and teenagers,” said Chief Executive Maurice Swanson.
“There is growing concern about the use of e-cigarettes among children and teenagers.”