At the event hosted by the Public Health Association of Australia and the University of Sydney, Park said the government had initially hoped vaping would help smokers quit but was now concerned it would lead to another generation becoming addicted.
"Governments, public health officials, researchers did so much in the last century to curb our tobacco rates and smoking rates, and I don't want to be the minister that sees that Pandora's box completely open again," he said.
Park noted the government had strengthened regulations and was closing down 15 to 20 illegal stores every week, but said more needed to be done. "The proliferation of these stores, the availability of these products, and trying to get on top of it as a government … keeps me up at night," he said. "I don't want to leave a legacy where we haven't really done everything we can."
The debate asked health leaders to outline their vision for preventative healthcare in NSW. NSW Greens health spokesperson Dr Amanda Cohn identified climate change as the number one issue and called for a standalone preventative health agency in honour of the late Victorian Greens MP Dr Tim Read, who died of metastatic cancer last month. Shadow minister for health Sarah Mitchell singled out childhood obesity and declining vaccination rates as her priorities.
Park said he did not want to be the minister who allowed tobacco rates to rebound after decades of progress.