New Zealand About To Be “Smoke Free” – But Will New Laws Stop Progress?

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New Zealand About To Be “Smoke Free” – But Will New Laws Stop Progress?

New Zealand About To Be “Smoke Free” – But Will New Laws Stop Progress?

By Admin
August 10, 2024

Following on from the success of Sweden becoming smoke free, New Zealand is next!

Due to New Zealand promoting vaping as a tool to quit smoking it is looking likely they will be declared smoke free by the end of 2024!

What Is “Smoke Free”?

Smoke Free status is obtained by reducing smoking rates to 5% or below.

In the UK the target is for 2030 but according to a Cancer Research UK report in 2023 it does not look like we will be on track to reach that goal.

Sweden appear to be the first to be able to reach this goal and in a previous article I shared how they have been able to reduce the amount of people smoking.

wva sweden smoking rates

How Has New Zealand Achieved This?

Well New Zealand legalised and regulated vaping in 2020 which according to Marewa Glover…

“we witnessed a remarkable 43 percent decline in daily adult smoking from 11.9 percent in 2020 to 6.8 percent in 2023,”

That is a huge reduction in people smoking.

Also the government launched a “Vaping to quit smoking” campaign in 2020 which also encouraged people to switch to less harmful alternatives to combusted tobacco.

The vape market is heavily regulated in NZ with limits very similar to the TPD here in the UK. Laws include:

Nicotine maximum strength of 28.5mg
Flavour names limited to 2 words – these must be chosen from allowed options – the options are shown below.
Removable battery devices only (from October 2024)
Child lock mechanisms on devices (from October 2024)
No images of cartoons or toys on packaging
Upcoming single use (disposable vape) ban – no date specified

The health authorities in NZ state their position as follows…

Vaping is not for children and young people.
Vaping is not for non-smokers.
Vaping can help some people quit smoking.
Vaping is not harmless but it is less harmful than smoking for smokers.
The best thing you can do for your health is to be smokefree and vapefree.

So there is quite a lot of restriction on vaping products and more to come in future. Could this jeopardise NZ success so far?

NZ Regulation – Good & Bad…

Marewa Glover

I asked my one of my favourite THR (Tobacco Harm Reduction) advocates – Marewa Glover for her opinions on NZ vaping policy. She really knows her stuff and also represents the indigenous people in New Zealand and Worldwide.

Marewa G NZOTY 2019 — Marewa Glover at the New Zealander of the year final 2019

In 2018 she established the Centre of Research Excellence: Indigenous Sovereignty & Smoking. Also she began a study to examine the facilitators and barriers to stopping smoking or switching to vaping among adults who didn’t want to quit in New Zealand. Their stories can be followed at www.voicesofthe5percent.nz.

I am probably not best qualified to comment on the policies of a country I do not live in – so I was pleased to get Marewa’s take on the situation…

“The New Zealand government’s programme of regulatory changes to support adults who smoke to switch to risk-reduced products is ongoing. On 1 July 2024 they reduced the excise tax on heated tobacco products by 50%. Heated tobacco products had previously been taxed at the same rate as cigarettes which made them unaffordable for people with the highest smoking rates such as people on low-income. It is good to see the government adopting risk proportionate taxation. Unfortunately the law prevents advertising of this product, so very few people know about the heated tobacco product option. The announcement and backlash from anti-tobacco harm reduction prohibitionists may however trigger people to ask vape shops about them.

Reaching the 5% smoking prevalence target is at risk due to proposed bans on some vape products. Whilst the government needs to address vaping among under 18-year-olds, changes must be balanced with concern for adults who smoke. Older people over 55 years particularly need to be considered as they are the most at risk for smoking-related diseases because of their longer history smoking and they are far less likely to switch to vaping. Banning disposable vapes likely wouldn’t have had too much of a negative impact. Though disposables did make vaping accessible for some of our older Voices of the 5% Study participants.

But the government are proposing to go beyond just banning disposable vapes. They are also proposing to ban the manufacture, import and sale of single use, non-refillable vape liquid pods and cartridges. This will remove a number of effective vape kits from the market. Allowing only refillable tanks and pods introduces a barrier for adults who currently use pre-filled pods and cartridges for convenience, or because they have dexterity issues that make it difficult for them to refill such parts. All adults who vape will have to buy e-liquid by the bottle. This will make vaping less attractive for some people as vaping will take proportionately more time than it takes to smoke cigarettes. Vaping will also be made more difficult for workers who may not be able to carry a bottle of e-liquid with them. For example, people who work outdoors who will not be able to keep their e-liquid out of the sun and heat.

It is important that adult consumers are consulted about the real world impact of banning product characteristics that have helped so many people discontinue smoking.”

WVA

The World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) issued this press release…

wva press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Zealand’s Smoke-Free Status at Risk Due to the Disposable Ban, the WVA Warns

Wellington, 08.08.2024 — The World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) is deeply concerned about New Zealand’s decision to ban disposable vape products. With the country close to becoming smoke-free, the WVA warns that this ban could undermine the progress made in reducing smoking rates.

The New Zealand Ministry of Health has announced the ban with the intention of reducing adolescent vaping. The new regulations prohibit the manufacture and sale of all non-rechargeable and non-refillable vapes, including single-use containers such as pre-filled tanks, pods, and cartridges.

The WVA warns that this decision could have detrimental effects on public health, potentially reversing the progress New Zealand has made in reducing conventional smoking.

Alberto Gómez Hernández, Policy Manager at the World Vapers’ Alliance, commented: “Preventing teenagers from using nicotine products is essential, and strict age regulations should be enforced to achieve this goal. However, banning disposable vapes and various pod systems for adult consumers will have negative public health implications and jeopardise the progress towards a smoke-free society achieved in the last decade. This approach fails to recognise the vital role disposable vaping products play in helping smokers transition away from cigarettes.”

Gómez Hernández further elaborated on the potential consequences of the ban:

“New Zealand’s progress toward becoming smoke-free is a prime example of how effective harm reduction strategies are. Unfortunately, this ban on all non-refillable vapes risks undermining that progress, making vaping less accessible to adult smokers seeking less risky alternatives to traditional tobacco.”

The World Vapers’ Alliance is calling on New Zealand’s health authorities to reconsider this prohibitionist approach and urges the government to maintain its commitment to progressive tobacco harm reduction strategies, which have proven effective in lowering smoking rates and improving public health outcomes.

END