Summary
Date: 6 February 2020
The RACGP thanks the Department of Health for the opportunity to comment on the submission by Philip Morris International to amend the Poisons Standard (Medicines/Chemicals) to bring tobacco heat-not-burn products into Australia. As with nicotine containing electronic cigarettes, the long-term risks have not been established and more research is required to ascertain their safety. Claims that heat-not-burn tobacco products pose a lower risk have been refuted.
The RACGP strongly recommends that the TGA does not approve the proposed amendment and adopts a protective and precautionary approach to heat-not-burn-products.