Cross bench senator Cory Bernardi has taken 'Vape Force One' for a lap of Parliament House in Canberra.
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The senator claimed the government's prohibition on supplying nicotine for vapour devices, or e-cigarettes, doesn't stack up with health evidence, as he jumped into the driving seat of a van plastered with pro-vaping messages and packed with volunteers.
"The government's position is illogical," Senator Bernardi said on Wednesday.
"Vaping is a much safer way for people to satisfy their nicotine addiction and cravings."
The government and many public health experts are concerned about the impact wide-scale use of vaping devices might have on tobacco consumption in the broader community.
The government also had quality and safety concerns regarding e-cigarettes and has resisted calls to reverse its position on the issue.
"The overwhelming medical advice and evidence is that it's likely to lead to the uptake of smoking and we cannot support that," a spokesman for Health Minister Greg Hunt told AAP.
That view was consistent with the concerns of the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Australia's Chief Medical Officer and the National Health and Medical Research Council.
"We will continue to follow the advice of the medical authorities," the spokesman said.
But Senator Bernardi said his stunt was a move to break the cycle of nicotine addiction.
"This is a way to do it that does less damage to individual's health," he said.
Australian Associated Press
