Business leaders are floating two of Tasmania's poorest areas for a vaping trial, despite a review for the federal government finding e-cigarettes pose a serious health risk.
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The Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Tasmanian Small Business Council on Thursday said the state's smoking rate of 17.6 per cent was the second highest in the country and new ideas were needed to bring it down.
"There is considerable evidence internationally that nicotine vaping and e-cigarettes are not only significantly less harmful than traditional cigarettes, but they are also very effective smoking cessation aids," the organisations said.
"We remain strongly of the view that nicotine vaping and e-cigarette products should be made widely available in the same way they are worldwide, including in places like the United Kingdom, European Union, Japan and our near neighbours, New Zealand.
"However, we recognise that despite the strong evidence ... the government is currently extremely cautious on nicotine vaping and nicotine e-cigarettes.
"In view of this caution - and the considerable positive evidence that has emerged over recent years - we propose that the Tasmanian government look to implement a real-world pilot of these products in Tasmania."
They said good places to consider for a trial would be the Bridgewater-Gagebrook area, which had the nation's highest smoking rate of a "shocking" 40 per cent of adults.
They also suggested Risdon Vale, which had the second worst smoking rate (34 per cent).
"Under such a real-world trial, selected traditional cigarette retailers would be able to also stock appropriately regulated nicotine vaping and nicotine e-cigarettes for over the counter sales to adults, as an alternative to traditional cigarettes," they said.
They said vaping was 95 per cent less harmful than regular smoking, but was not risk-free.
Nicotine e-cigarettes and vaping products are only legally available via prescription.
The business groups said only two GPs in Tasmania were authorised to prescribe them.
In the review for the federal government, Australian National University researchers found vaping increased the risk of taking up smoking, lung damage, seizures, addiction and poisoning.