The N Z Government, Labour, Greens, National, ACT and NZ First are complicit in the nicotine and vape addiction and the associated shocking vaping scenarios in New Zealand.

Not one of these entities has supported a nicotine or vape addiction reduction service, and at best they say they are waiting for 'evidence' before they propose greater regulation of vape marketing, other than the weak amendments.

A charity organisation yesterday publicly launched a vape quitting programme. 
Homepage | Asthma Foundation NZ See photo above

Every party claiming or aspiring to govern New Zealand has failed in a basic duty of care by not speaking up on vape regulation and management of the current epidemic. There has merely been a 'tweaking', creating not a dent in the large industry and its impact.
The result is that NZ has the second highest vaping rate in the world, children are addicted, and nothing, government or party supported, is in place or intended to address this. Vaping is, and will remain, alive and well throughout New Zealand.

'Quitline' just encourages tobacco smokers to switch to vaping. Risks of vaping are criminally understated. The 'Vaping Facts' material still has the very weak mention that vaping is not completely harmless and you should try to get off it, but that's it. No clear description of harm, no support services for quitting, with the message that vaping is getting nicotine with fewer of the toxins that come from burning tobacco. 
(At least 'with fewer' is an improvement on the recent message 'without' the toxins from burning tobacco, described in a previous update with photo.)
Vaping to quit smoking | Vaping Facts

The lives of New Zealanders are being sacrificed to the vape and tobacco industry while the industry makes vast sums and the government pockets tax from each deal.

Will the Coalition continue the exploitation and betrayal of the public they are paid to protect??

If so they should, as indeed the previous government should, be sued, held liable for incurring extraordinary health and socioeconomic cost to New Zealand and New Zealanders.

Every party states they wish to protect the health of New Zealanders but they do, and intend to do, nothing affecting the problems in this space, from their manifestos or actions. 

Much of the following has been stated, some repeatedly, but is included here for context and reference.

The referendum merely supports continued vaping, now endemic throughout New Zealand. 

At best the parties say they will wait for 'evidence', and also see what happens in Australia. 

This is nonsense. The evidence is clear for implementation of strategies now, as stated previously in an update.

The most reputable clinical science groups in respiratory, cancer and other branches of medicine already state vapes put users at serious health risks, some stating they should not be used even to quit the highly carcinogenic tobacco, the stats of vape use in NZ vs Australia where protocols differ are available, the impact on tobacco smoking rates of advertising campaigns of tobacco health risks together with putting tobacco products into plain packaging with health warnings and out of public view is known to have been highly effective, well before vapes were introduced, etc.

Strategies suggested, also described in previous updates

 1. tell the public the truth about vaping risks, as the GPs and specialists advise
 2. establish vape and nicotine addiction clinics to help all wishing to quit
 3. combine large publicity campaigns on vape hazards and quitting services with removal of vape advertising and display( currently legal in non specualty vape retail outlets*), closure of SVRs (specialty vape retailers) 
 4. either move directly to prescription only, or an intermediary step of retail outlets with vape products out of view, with plain packaging and health warnings, or pharmacy only as this petition requests.

Reference material:

National states
 
"We have been hearing from parents, principals, and teachers most weeks about how vaping is impacting our young people. While vaping was introduced so that it could help people come off smoking, it has created a whole new addiction for young people.
 
Educators and public health experts want New Zealand to follow Australia's lead and ban recreational vaping to address what they describe as a growing epidemic amongst young people. We support the Government's measures to reduce the number of young people taking up vaping and will be closely watching what is happening in Australia. National have always said we have got our vaping settings wrong in New Zealand and we think it is time to have a good look at what we can do to discourage people – especially young people – from taking it up."
 
in response to my letter

Sent: Thursday, 9 November 2023 7:27 AM
To: Christopher Luxon <Christopher.Luxon@parliament.govt.nz>; David Seymour <David.Seymour@parliament.govt.nz>; Winston Peters <Winston.Peters@parliament.govt.nz>l
Subject: Shocking stats - good science puts vapes in pharmacies - the right balance until they are banned
 
Dear Messrs Luxon, Seymour and Peters
 
I have been reading ACT and NZ First policies on vaping, both heavily promoting the behaviour.
I am not surprised as the vape lobby has pushed hard to persuade governments that drenching the community with vapes is necessary to reduce tobacco smoking with its terrible impact.
However the policies indicate lack of any awareness of the advice of the major clinical specialist groups, and lack of awareness of what is occurring in New Zealand, with youth vaping, school principals concerns etc. 
Ask any teenager about vaping amongst their peers.
The denial of a youth vaping epidemic by the ACT online is worrying. 
(This was not dated - David Seymour stated in reply to this letter that it was not recent.)
 
NZ currently has misinformation in its vaping material, seriously understating harm, eg 'vaping does not have the toxins in tobacco smoking' implying it is safe, there is no vape or nicotine quitting service. It is very third world in the sense of a criminal lack of proper information for the public in a product it massively supports and makes considerable money from until the effects of vaping in NZ end up draining the economy.
 
Compare NZ online advice with that of eg one of the top US hospitals, the Cleveland Clinic.
 
You will find clear advice on this petition site and its updates.
 
This will take you to the latest update, and the petition.
 
Regards
 
Mary MacGibbon (PhD)
Miramar"
 

As stated in last update re Greens 

"The Green policy document states they plan to 'regulate vaping products as a harm-reduction measure for established tobacco users, while minimising uptake by new users, including by banning shopfront advertising, and banning disposable vapes'.

It sounds good, although the only specific actions stated there were shopfront advertising and disposable vapes.

In the letter I received today from the office of the Greens spokesperson on vaping it said the same, that they want to find the right balance of limiting uptake in new users and using vaping as a harm-reduction measure for established tobacco users.

This again sounds good but a bit vague, and unless supported by clear sound proposals addressing the problem including nicotine addiction, resembles the mantra of the vape industry (balancing one toxic nicotine product with another, both of which make 'big tobacco' like Phillip Morris huge profits and provide the government with profits from every purchase, and including some vague mention that children shouldn't vape, not so much that adults shouldn't take it up whuch the Greens policy does at least.)

(There is of course an accepted role of vapes in facilitating a switch from tobacco for those addicted to tobacco cigarettes, but this should not require vapes to be highly visible, on clear display in dairies, petrol stations etc as is legal in the Amendment Bill*, and with all NZ communities riddled with retailers. Along with lack of clear statement of primary health risks and lack of addiction support for vaping and nicotine this becomes a betrayal of New Zealanders, catering to the vaping industry.)

 • The Greens appear to be waiting for 'evidence' to create more rigorous regulations.
 • It's hard to know what that means, given the most reputable clinical science groups in respiratory, cancer and other branches of medicine already state vapes put users at serious health risks, some stating they should not be used even to quit the highly carcinogenic tobacco, the stats of vape use in NZ vs Australia where protocols differ are available etc.
 • The Greens do not state that the public should be advised clearly of the health risks, even while the NZ government is criminally understating these in their main messaging eg in just describing vapes baldly and simply as 'not containing the toxins of tobacco'. (Now modified to 'containing fewer')
 • The Greens do not include recommendation of any means of quitting vapes or nicotine, even though the government does not provide these.
 • The Greens appear, from a statement from their main spokesperson and forwarded today, to consider the weak amendments of the Labour government on SVRs and flavours as major and highly praise worthy, manifesting "solid evidence-based harm reduction", while these amendments in fact allow 600 of the SVRs, and infinite numbers of non-specialist vape retailers with vape products colourful highly visible and with 3 flavours and anywhere, ie close to schools. 

In short, the Greens policy as stated currently does not reflect any understanding of the urgency of the current problem or propose or suggest strategies to address it.

The weak amendments merely support the vaping remaining embedded and creating massive costly problems in our communities.

They need to have a look at decent advice, such as that of the Cleveland Clinic, on vaping and quitting vaping and nicotine, and decent resources regarding respiratory, cardiovascular,  neural, cancer risks of vaping etc.

*https://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2020/0222/21.0/d1393751e2.html "