When parliament conducted an inquiry into vaping that concluded e-cigarettes should remain effectively banned in Australia, the paediatrician turned MP Mike Freelander said the lobbyists came knocking. “We were lobbied quite heavily prior to and during the inquiry by a number of agencies including those promoting the tobacco industry and some medical professionals who argued for legalisation on the basis of harm minimisation,” the Labor MP says. “In the last few months there has been more activity … but I think our inquiry came out with the right result and I don’t want to reopen it.” The increase in lobbying – including Philip Morris engaging Capetal Advisory, revealed by Guardian Australia this week – comes as tobacco companies take a stake in vaping, the great disruptor of the traditional cigarette market. Greg Hunt digs in on opposition to e-cigarettes after vaping ‘epidemic’ Read more Philip Morris International has its […]