Last month the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) announced their support for vaping nicotine as a quitting aid for smokers.
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This endorsement is a game-changer for smokers wanting to quit and vaping is a welcome tool for GPs and other health professionals, especially in regional Australia where smoking rates are highest.
Under the new guidelines, GPs and other health professionals can recommend vaping for smokers who have failed to quit smoking with the available treatments when patients raise the subject with their doctor or health professional.
Vaping is now the most popular and most effective quitting aid globally and has helped millions of smokers quit the deadly addiction.
It is legal to vape nicotine in Australia if a patient has a nicotine prescription from a medical practitioner.
This endorsement will ultimately save lives as smokers who switch to vaping have substantial improvements in both respiratory and cardiovascular health and a dramatically reduced risk of cancer.
I encourage any smoker wanting to kick the habit to talk to their GP or health care professional to find out more about vaping as a quit smoking aid.
Conjoint Associate Professor Colin Mendelsohn (UNSW)
Foundation Chairman and Board Member
Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association (ATHRA)