Sent to Associate Health Minister, Casey Costello, ccing C. Luxon, D. Seymour, W. Peters, S, Reti, RNZ, NZ Herald, Stuff.
Will forward to Greens and Te Pati Maori.
Dear Ms Costello
You are described in today's news as wanting to do something about vaping. You mention disposable vapes as being a good move. They would be, but the battery-removable vapes are similar but do not fit the term 'disposable', so are simply a way of side-stepping this issue. You refer to 'vape to quit' for smokers. This is heavily promoted already by the government following Labour and is part of the tobacco-vape corporations song book as they see litigation related to better understood tobacco harm.
Philip Morris:
https://www.pmi.com/our-business/smoke-free-products
Check NZ govt online 'risks of vaping' - it is mainly about promotion of vaping! as a switch from tobacco with an extraordinary downplay of risks.
So, so far you are not promising anything.
A massive problem here is that there is no government vape or nicotine quitting programme. Any government keen to reduce vaping must establish these and advise NZ about health risks of vaping. See US, see Australia. Anything less is purely helping tobacco/vape corporations make more money.
NZ's status as second highest vapers globally, our primary school vapers now having more school stand downs than older cohorts while overall numbers increased 19% in the last year, no government-funded vape or nicotine quitting programmes, understated risk of vaping by the government etc, shows a cold exploitation of New Zealanders by vape corporations, robustly supported by the government.
Using vapes for switching from tobacco, which Labour stated was the the only reason they promoted vaping, would not require the following which they also supported: extraordinary proliferation of colourful alluring specialty vape shops and all other outlets with no health warnings, understatement of risk, and lack of any programmes for those now addicted to this behaviour.
You can turn this around quickly and easily by reducing the marketing and availability of vapes, providing health warnings, establishing quitting programmes.
A 2-step process may be taken, where vapes are restricted as tobacco products are currently, then introduce more rigorous control as in Australia, where vape rates are considerably lower, and they have defused the bomb we have here of youth addicted to nicotine and increasing lung problems presenting to GPs and respiratory physicians.
Data from private health insurers in Australia has revealed a surge in vape-related claims since 2020. This would be top of the iceberg given it was not including public health data.
The Albanese government responded.
It is time for the NZ government with greater per capita vaping than Australia ever had, to tightly regulate vaping as promised in the National election manifesto, to be honest to the public about risks and to establish quitting programmes.
Leaving children hanging, addicted to this toxic drug and without support, as more colourful outlets proliferate, is cruel and uncivilised.
Kind regards
Mary MacGibbon (PhD)
Material included in the last update in a petition I began last year, currently with over 4000 signatures.
'The following is primarily an update on the way in which NZ is allowing the lowly status of 'country most exploited by the vaping industry' to persist, with multiparty encouragement and support.
Until we have, as from the US and Australia governments, clear health warnings and government-funded vape and nicotine quitting programmes, along with legal requirement to conceal vapes from view, the government is complicit and as such reprehensible.
..... (deleted is just info about a rally on vaping held at the weekend. Labour's Shadow Health Minister spoke.)
Dr Verrall was the Minister of Health for the Labour Government which in consultation with members of the Greens Party, set up a bogus amendment which she still as a shadow Minister of Health supports. Yesterday she reiterated concern about how vaping needs to be better regulated, but this is mere hollow talk as, as we know, re the Labour government and the amendment:
1. the amendment allowed 8 months for new vape shops to establish themselves near schools before the September minimum of 300 m rule from schools for specialty vape shops (SVR) was enacted with existing shops on the cut off day permitted to remain there. During that interval a predictable rapid proliferation of SVRs near schools occurred. Their attractive candy-shop appearance, clear display of attractive shiny wares, open doors with only an R18 sign, no health warnings to be seen. These shops loudly proclaim their wares, and the sweet alluring smell of the vapes wafts out if someone inside is vaping. The 600 maximum SVRs was a pre-election 'promise' not part of the amendment would have no impact on these non-specialist outlets. How it would have been implemented was unclear, 'sinking lid' policy? ie very slow if ever occurring
2. the amendment legally allows all! retailers to buy a one-off licence to display and sell 3 flavours of vapes, and so service stations, dairies, chemists all sell them, again with no health warnings
3. the Labour material, still online under the Coalition, provides information labelled vape risks but instead of clear statement of vape risks it is more a reassurance about how they are a really good alternative to tobacco:
https://vapingfacts.health.nz/the-facts-of-vaping/risks-of-vaping/
Compare with Australian online advice: https://www.health.gov.au/topics/smoking-vaping-and-tobacco/about-vaping or US online advice: https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/knowtherisks.html#aerosol-exposure
4. the amendment does not have any recommendation for government quitting programmes for vaping or for nicotine addiction, just for tobacco, with the strong recommendation being to vape
5. the amendment permits ongoing easy online purchase
6. the amendment refers to a disposable vapes ban but removable batteries have made a technical difference so this ban would be meaningless
Labour talks about Smoke Free Aotearoa but it only refers to tobacco. Vaping is the recommended cure.
The secondary school principal who spoke at the rally said tobacco cigarette smoking disappeared in schools when tobacco restrictions were brought in, together with high cost. There was a sustained period of no use of any cigarettes. Clearly it was not vaping causing a switch in the school scenario. Then after the sustained period of no smoking this strange new habit crept in and is now a huge problem. He referred to the major three factors of marketing, availability and cost, with marketing targeted to youth, and ready availability being the clue to addressing vaping.
One presenter stated prescription only was the answer.
The new government must clearly not follow Labour's lead on vaping, just on tobacco. Otherwise they are still embedding NZ in the highest but one global vaping epidemic status it currently has, and ensuring more children become addicted and NZ having both no understanding of vape health risks or means of quitting.
More primary school students stood down for vaping - Ministry of Education | RNZ News '