Letter sent just now to a major newspaper:

Dear Editor in Chief

As this regards a major story:

The letter:

Today's announcement 'Vaping kits to be made free for smokers to help them quit' (RNZ news)

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/537907/vaping-kits-to-be-made-free-for-smokers-to-help-them-quit
 
describes a highly dangerous action by the government. Clinicians, parents and school Principals will be astounded. This is a major endorsement of vape products as being a safe option, whereas they are, by major clinical groups in respiratory medicine worldwide, considered to be a serious risk to the lungs and other organs. 

We already have intense, minimally regulated marketing of vape products both in stores and online, and an arguably criminal understatement of risks of vaping by the government, compared with that in other advanced countries, including the U.S.

2024 statistics state 1 in 8 New Zealand school children vape regularly. Maori stats are over 1 in 4.

Ms Costello's new move will exacerbate these high rates. It will increase addiction to vaping, and maintain profits of the big tobacco/vape companies like Philip Morris and of the multitude of NZ retailers. The government also makes 15% on each sale.

Getting tobacco smokers to quit never justified the intense marketing, near schools, and the lack of description of major health concerns let alone this extraordinary promotion, but Ms Costello states it is necessary for that purpose.

The US does not advocate vaping as the wonderful means of quitting tobacco as NZ does, and the American Cancer Society states vaping is simply too dangerous even to use as a tool to switch from tobacco. Other protocols are recommended and include nicotine gum and patches, counselling, support for quitting nicotine addiction.

The WHO strongly recommends tight regulation or banning of vapes. The UK and NZ are 2 of the very few outliers in advanced countries not to follow this advice, and both have a youth vaping epidemic.

The US govt online material states clearly the risks in addition to those of nicotine, while the NZ govt does not.  The former describes up front that the inhaled aerosol contains cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals, volatile organic chemicals, and the tiny particles which can be inhaled deep into the lungs. The content mentions it may be safer than, the extremely carcinogenic,  tobacco but that research is still establishing this and the degree of harm vapes cause.

(Reputable studies are finding certain tissue and lung function changes in vapers similar to those seen in tobacco smokers. The toxins are in concentrations know to cause harm, every vape includes a known inflammatory agent, propylene glycol, required to form the aerosol etc.)

The NZ main message about risks is vague and suggests vaping is relatively innocuous, stating that it is less harmful than smoking, with a general comment that breathing any product into lungs unnecesarily is not ideal. 

Note: health insurance companies increases in costs for vaping are the same as for tobacco smoking.

The government 'banning of disposables' is also pretence at change in regulation, as the industry has already got around this by including removable batteries which exempts the product.

Regards

Mary MacGibbon (PhD)