Big tick for mobile phone controls in schools. Now vapes.
This is a bigger issue according to Secondary School Principals head. We need vape and nicotine quitting programmes and US or Australia type description of risks, not the current serious understatement.
Texted to 2101 just now. Suggest others do this.
Clearly we also need all the rest - plain packaging with warnings, stop display, a huge quitting campaign including ongoing about tobacco, leading to only pharmacy outlet for both.
Vaughan Couillault didn't mention vapes when talking about phones and twice mentioning 'addiction' to them on RNZ today. Maybe he has given up. The problem is still there.
Losing 15% on each deal if kids quit - is that behind the understating risks, lack of quitting programmes etc? Stopping mobile ph use doesn't affect the govt pockets.
The Dept of Public Health has been vocal lately about tobacco and are starting to say more about vapes but until they argue more loudly in the media, as Michael Baker does regarding epidemics, for 1. statement to the public of real risk, 2. vape and nicotine quitting programmes, 3. display ban, 4. not allowing every retailer for one off licence fee to sell vapes, etc they are still doing the bidding of big tobacco/vape.
The Dept of Public Health is within the University of Otago. It is a government body. Although pushing back on the tobacco this Otago Uni group are not independent and certainly not doing anything serious on vapes. Outlawing disposable vapes is got around by the industry by having removable batteries, so again, not dealing with the problem.
When a government and it's Ministry of Health are criminally exploiting the public for money, putting lives at risk in understating risk of a highly addictive product, with marketing directed at youth and school children, and from which they profit financially, I am tempted to give up too.