Measuring the prevalence of vaping and illicit tobacco in Australia (2024-2028)

There is significant public concern about increased nicotine vaping among young Australia¿s and a growing illegal tobacco market in Australia. This project aims to use a wastewater-based epidemiology approach to establish a world leading program to monitor the prevalence of illicit vaping and illicit tobacco use in the Australian population. The project expects to demonstrate the effectiveness of integrated wastewater-based epidemiology approach in improving our understanding of the impact of tobacco control and tax policies on vaping and illegal tobacco markets. The expected outcomes include building government capacity to objectively measure the prevalence of the illicit consumption of controlled substances beyond nicotine.