News today of tobacco corps backing UK pro-vape campaign.(see link below)

The vape playbook in NZ mimics the UK, with the Government criminally understating risks, immensely supporting the industry, as the Coalition plans to follow the weak Labour amendment, and also refers to '600 vape shops' which is, as this is written, still making journalists and others believe that this is all the vape outlets intended*, and major university-associated 'research groups' remarkably low key re any enforcement. They are basically supporting the weak amendment by making no clear public demand for plain packaging etc or for quitting programmes for vaping or nicotine. Where is the voice of the Department of Public Health? The affiliated research groups are 'shocked' at the tobacco regs reversal, as in 2 recent RNZ pieces, but not shocked enough at our high vape rates to call the Labour amendment ridiculous or insist on nicotine-quitting programmes.

Is NZ being influenced exactly as the UK is by big tobacco/vape or is it just emulating the UK? Either way, NZ is supporting the industry and being deceptive about it.

You may have seen this interesting and relevant piece in NZ media today:

https://www.thepost.co.nz/world-news/350132724/big-tobacco-funding-uk-pro-vaping-campaign

*As often stated in this petition updates, the amendment allows 1000s of vape retail outlets (ie shops), anywhere there is a retailer of any product, and the 600 is just referring to the SVRs, the specialty vape retailers.

What will be signs we have a government, Department of Public Health and Ministry who are authentic in caring about NZ vaping?

A campaign to tell the vaping health risks as reported by major respiratory clinicians in lay terms of course, as other countries including Australia do, establishing nicotine-quitting programmes, putting vapes into plain packaging with health warnings, removing advertising posters, having vapes out of public view, as well as real reduction of outlets, certainly SVRs.

None of this would be making vapes less available than tobacco, a concern of some.

Banning online sales of both tobacco and e- cigarettes, and putting vapes into pharmacies would be the next logical step, as NZ becomes more alert to the heavy risks of both tobacco and e-cigarettes.

As said, the Labour amendment is certainly not a 'crack down' on vaping, quite the opposite, indicating massive government support for the industry.