[Music] in Australia our national drug strategy is made up of three pillars today we're going to talk about the third pillar of harm reduction in the context of nicotine vaping products harm reduction is an approach we use with people who continue to use substances including nicotine it involves talking with the person about safety and ways they could look to reduce their exposure to risks and harm there are a range of strategies that people who use nicotine vaping products could put in place to reduce harm we're going to talk through some of them now the first strategy we're going to discuss is encouraging people to get a prescription people should avoid using nicotine vaping products sourced from the unregulated market these products can contain unlisted toxic ingredients and variable amounts of nicotine obtaining a prescription and purchasing products from an Australian Pharmacy ensures that the product meets Australian quality and safety standards quit tobacco tobacco Remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in Australia people should be encouraged to quit both smoking and vaping if that's not possible it's likely that switching to vaping only will reduce harm whilst we still don't know the long-term harms that may occur from nicotine vaping products current evidence supports that whilst not harmless these products are likely less harmful than tobacco smoking nicotine replacement therapy can also help people even young people who are dependent to quit nicotine this is another option for people to consider that is less harmful than tobacco find the right nicotine concentration for people who are dependent on nicotine having their Cravings satisfied with just a few Puffs is desirable because less Puffs means less inhalation of other chemicals in the eliquids that may contribute to longer term harms maintain reusable devices the coil and Wick in any device will wear out over time but they can be replaced in reusable devices like the mod and pod Styles encourage people who use these ppes of devices to stock up on replacement parts and change them frequently so they're not exposed to the toxins that can be created when these parts are overused follow manufacturer's instructions modifiable devices have customizable features that should always be used as per the instructions doing things like increasing temperature beyond the recommended range risks overheating the coil burning the wick and overheating the e- liquid which can turn chemicals into harmful toxins that in some cases wouldn't be present otherwise throw disposable Vapes out when they're empty never attempt to reuse disposable Vapes the parts inside wear out they're not designed to be reused reusing them can expose people to toxins unnecessarily and tempering with batteries can cause fires don't get nicksick this is when people have too much nicotine it causes heads spins followed by headaches and nausea unregulated Vapes have unknown nicotine concentrations so encourage those that use these products to start with one puff and allow time for the nicotine to take effect before inhaling again manage frequency of use to avoid or reduce dependence it can be easy to vape frequently and for longer than planned encourage people to vape mindfully rather than mindlessly by monitoring and setting limits on use as well as storing Vapes out of easy reach between use avoid dry puffing when a vape runs out of liquid the internal mechanisms can overheat or burn releasing toxic fumes that taste bad and can be harmful people should be encouraged to discard disposable Vapes and top up refillable devices before the e- liquid Runs Out after refilling it's also important people wait a few minutes to ensure the wick is fully soaked before taking their first inhale avoid vaping in places it's not allowed being expelled from school getting fired from work or kicked off a sporting team can cause social or economic harms that can have a big impact on people's lives so I encourage people to avoid vaping in places where it's not allowed legally these are the same places you can't smoke if this is difficult it might indicate nicotine dependence so talking to a health professional about options to manage cravings and withdrawal symptoms can be helpful respect others choice not to vape especially in enclosed spaces like cars and toilets so encourage people to vape away from non Vapors babies children pregnant and breastfeeding women manage batteries safely batteries can catch fire or explode as with any battery powered device people should keep them away from heat and out of direct sunlight always charge store and use them as per the manufactur instructions and only ever use the charger provided finally store liquid nicotine safely liquid nicotine can be absorbed through the skin and is toxic when ingested on orally people should store it away from children and pets they should also take care when topping up refillable Vapes washing hands and wiping up spills or leaks immediately encourage people to call the poisons information center if they're concerned or call Triple Zer in an emergency for more information on vaping visit our website