AMA NT President Dr Robert Parker has welcomed the Federal Government’s plan to restrict the sales of vapes to pharmacies with plain-packaging and menthol or tobacco flavouring saying the industry is largely unregulated

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, let's hope that the availability of vapes for young
people's going to be curved when a sales ban begins
next week, despite the Federal government weakening the proposed laws
to get the Greens on side. Now, the Federal government's
expected to pass this bill this week. It will restrict
the sale of vapes to pharmacies, with products limited to
regulate it plane packaged nicotine vapes with menthol or tobacco flavoring.

(00:25):
But it has dropped the original plan to restrict sales
only to people with a prescription obtained through a GP,
agreeing with the Greens to allow any adult to purchase
vapes from pharmacists from October without the need for a prescription. Now,
joining us on the line to talk a little bit
more about this is the head of the AMA, the
Australian Medical Association here in the Northern Territory, doctor Robert Parker.

(00:49):
Good morning to you, morning Codie. Now, doctor Parker, looks
like the initial plans are going to be weakened slightly
with no need for a script, but people will still
need to prove that they're own for eighteen and they're
going to need to make that purchase obviously at a pharmacy.
What do you make of these changes?

Speaker 2 (01:07):
Well, again, were the AMA is very happy that ovates
are going to be restricted. Obviously it's a major concern
about the widespread use of ates, particularly among younger people
now and the potential, I opposed to the lead to
further to baco years and also the fact that the
industry is very unregulated. Ma I was remember an article

(01:29):
I saw about the manufacturer of vates in the past
China that looked like Hell's kitchens. We're bubbling that of
chemicals that no one knew it was about. So I
think the restriction on it and putting a few barriers
in place to do seltie availability is going to be
very welcome.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
Now do you reckon it's going to see a change
when it comes to young people accessing vates. I mean,
I guess that's what we would all like to see.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
The concern of sizes to be an explosion of black
mars issues as it is happening in Victoria at the
moment with all those tobacco stores being burned, and obviously
a major underworld conflict about illegal tobacco potentially could affect
vapes as well. But I mean the omail I suppose
is happy that now the only children will have to

(02:17):
get a script off a GP, because it's going to
reduce the pressure on GP appointments. And I presume GP's
facing a whole bunch of angry consumers demanding their faiths
and not potentially getting them. But I understand that the
high issue of pharmacy is in disarray at the moment
with the processes a pharmacists need to actually obtain vapes
and to stop them being very disorganized. So I don't

(02:40):
think the farmacists are very happy about the change either.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
No, that's the difficult thing here at the moment, isn't
it is trying to work out those the ways in
which it's sort of going to roll out. I guess
for the pharmacists and for those pharmacies and not wanting
to see them sort of. I guess going through that
real difficult process of trying to you know, there's always
going to be a difficult process, I guess when you're
teething through these issues but trying to make it as

(03:03):
seamless as possible.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
That's correct, you know. I think there's significant organizational processes
in respective pharmacies that haven't been ironed out in vaping
stores about what to do. But yeah, I gather there's
a lot of disquiet among the farmercises about the changes.

Speaker 1 (03:23):
I mean, there's been a lot of discussion about the
fact that these vapes, in a lot of cases, the
disposable ones, seem to be targeted at young people, you know,
these different flavors, the packaging, all of that kind of thing. Hope,
I mean, I'm hopeful that it makes a difference because
a lot of the discussion that you sort of tend
to have is that it is young people in some

(03:43):
cases in schools, you know, they're on the school bus
everywhere using these vapes.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
That's correct, and it's become a very both popular use
of substance abuse in young people. And of course nicotine
is an incredibly addictive substance, so it's always the issue
a big tobacco trying to get people addicted so they
then move into tobacco products later. So it is a
major concern. You know, there's been some marvelous programs to

(04:10):
reduce smoking smoking related different disability among Australians, and the
current because a significant step backwards and the whole and
the whole evolution of this health campaign.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
Yeah, Look, it's obviously going to spell the end for
those dedicated vaping retailers. You would think that would have
you know, that would have spread through the suburbs to
sell flavored products particularly popular with young people. Do you
think that that's going well, I mean, I've sort of
touched on it, but do you think the fact that
people are going to have to go into the chemist

(04:45):
and potentially have to speak to a pharmacist before purchasing
these vapes? Surely it will like, surely it's going to
make things harder.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
Well, that's right, and there's going to be a couple
of steps before you know, convincing someone. Suppose an adult's
got a right to say I'm a smoker. I suppose
it's because it actually stops children then accessing it. The
main problem area at the moment is obviously significant issue
as well, but the popularity of vaping among children is

(05:15):
the main concern of the moment, and the fact that
is a b to nicotine is a significant health issue.
I suppose the only you know, there probably will be
an evolving black market unfortunately, but it is a step
towards trying to controller an evolving epidemic. I suppose of
addiction that potentially be very helpful.

Speaker 1 (05:36):
Yeah, doctor Parker from a real health perspective, like at
the moment in terms of you know, of the vaping
that we are seeing across the Northern Territory, are you like,
are there many people coming in to our healthcare centers
with associated issues when it comes to vaping or is
it sort of still early days? I suppose with vaping

(05:57):
to sort of see just how harmful these impacts.

Speaker 2 (06:00):
Could be, Okatie, I'm not aware anecdotally of lung issues
that have similar to issues that have occurred with vaping
in the US, for example, where people suffer significant lung
damage related to vaping. So I'm not aware of any
cases in the territory like that. I suppose the main
concern obviously is the addictive nature of it, and you know,
the nicotine and developing a significant nicotine addiction which strives

(06:23):
to further vaping.

Speaker 1 (06:24):
Before I let you go, I mean, if they had
gone down the path with the scripts, do you reckon
that would have been difficult for GPS to manage?

Speaker 2 (06:32):
Well, I think it would have placed existing you know
already we know that it's quite difficult to get GP appointments.
It would have put massive pressure on GP practices, probably
from smokers trying to get scripts to and again make
it even more difficult to access the GP than it
currently is. People trying to get scripts for vaping, and

(06:52):
again the whole is shoe of people having to wait
a couple of weeks a month, people going through nicotine
withdraw whiches and you know the potential issues with that.
So I think there was at least pharmacists that are
probably more available, and you can get to see a
farmatus more quickly. You know, you tend to see some
GPS at time.

Speaker 1 (07:08):
Yeah, doctor Parker, how have things been going, you know
in our hospital system and everywhere?

Speaker 2 (07:12):
Okay, there was one issue. AMA last night was had
a bit of a discussion about the evolving gas industry.
I know, there's arguments pro and con. The one thing
we are concerned about is the parent lack of monitoring devices.
We understand there's very few and it's pretty catchy. So
the AMA is going to be talking to the government about,
you know, better monitoring to help you know, I think

(07:35):
it's very important that there are potential helpless associated with
gas and petroleum development, and you know, the AMA hasn't
got a particular stance either way at the moment that
we feel it's important that the government is better informed
about the quality of air in Darwin so it can
make decisions. So the AMA is going to be talking
to the government about that right. In terms of the hospital, yes,

(07:58):
I'm not aware of any you know, we are very busy.
I mean the issue of dead block, you know, individuals
who would be better cared for nursing homes or disability
accommodation is a constant one saying to bed block. It's
good to see that the government has budgeted for this
new HVA facility at Parmerston Hospital which potentially will accommodate

(08:20):
appropriate care for these individuals. But it's still you know,
the territory hospital is still a sort of crisis in
day to day. I mean, we're you know, and it
doesn't take very much to tip us into another Code yellow. Yes,
just because of that, because of currentages of dead block
and constant pleasure on the hospitals I've talked to you
about previously.

Speaker 1 (08:40):
Yeah, hey, doctor Parker, just going back to that monitoring
of the equality and wanting better monitoring of the equality.
So you're going to have a catch up with the
government about this. I mean, what would the AMA like
to see.

Speaker 2 (08:53):
Well, I suppose more monitoring stations and more visibility as
to the reporting from them. We understand there's only if
you at the moment, and it's pretty patchy about the
data coming out from those. So we feel that, you know,
the citizens of Darwin are deserve a better monitoring to
check if there are excessive levels of chemicals the competially
effects health and we're not We're uncertain of the moment,

(09:13):
and we certainly feel that the citizens deserve better quality
monitoring just to check if there are health issues emerging
from the gap industry.

Speaker 1 (09:24):
Yeah. Look, I think that's a fair call to make
in terms of that monitoring happening and making sure that
it is happening so we can check the equality. I mean,
I know myself, like I suffer from asthma and some
days it's horrendous. I think it is because of the bushfires.
But some of the things that are associated with that
air quality can be quite detrimental towards some people or
for some people in their lives.

Speaker 2 (09:46):
That's right, Well, there are some health consequences associated with
some of the chemicals, but again, I think it's you
know again, they may is not pro or our development
at the moment, but we are. We think it's important
to get more evidence can form an opinion.

Speaker 1 (10:01):
And so due to catch up with the government over
the coming days, hopefully, doctor Parker, or not.

Speaker 2 (10:05):
Sure yet, Well it's going to be, I mean obviously
with the election learning, we're not expecting a lot of
progress at the moment with any sort of but we will,
we will mention it to government and just you know,
and hopefully that will progress for one of some stage.

Speaker 1 (10:20):
Well, doctor Robert Parker. Always good to speak with you.
I really appreciate your time this morning.

Speaker 2 (10:25):
Good to talk to you, Kenny.

Speaker 1 (10:26):
Thank you