The RACGP has just released their latest edition of national smoking cessation guidelines, which in an unprecedented move supports the use of vaping products for smoking cessation. The GP organisation has been carrying out thorough reviews on the effectiveness and safety of the products, and has concluded that they are a legitimate quitting tool for adult smokers.
To this effect, the new guidelines advise GPs and other health professionals to recommend vaping for adult smokers who wish to quit and have so far been unsuccessful when trying with regular NRTs. This change in stance aligns the RACGP with other medical associations such as the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, the UK Royal College of General Practitioners, the New Zealand Medical Association.
A positive step in the right direction
The move was congratulated by VTANZ co-founder Ben Pryor. “Australia has very tough rules around nicotine vaping, which is sadly why Australian smoking rates have stalled. In comparison, New Zealand smokers have embraced vaping with Kiwi smoking rates at an all-time low and falling,” he said.
“This latest advice from the RACGP will certainly enable more Australian smokers keen to quit the opportunity to try the safe and most effective smoking cessation tool the world has ever seen. More Australian smokers will soon discover that vaping is much more effective than all other nicotine replacement therapies,” he added.
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