All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • All Blacks
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Editorial: Vapes - the panacea that became the problem

NZ Herald
2 Jun, 2023 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌

Subscriber benefit

The ability to gift paywall-free articles is a subscriber only benefit. See more offers by clicking the button below.

Already a subscriber?  Sign in here
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Vaping has become increasingly popular among young people. Photo / 123rf
Vaping has become increasingly popular among young people. Photo / 123rf

Vaping has become increasingly popular among young people. Photo / 123rf

Editorial

EDITORIAL

Vaping has had an unusual role in health strategies around the world - having once been officially encouraged to some extent as a less harmful alternative to smoking to wean people off cigarettes.

Its place in this balancing act is coming under increasing scrutiny, with some countries now choosing to bring in tougher measures on vaping. They include countries New Zealand has strong similarities with: Australia, Ireland and Britain.

It’s the use of vaping among younger people and the development of the inhaling habit at that age that is causing concern. Experts have said that young non-smoking vapers are about three times more likely to go on to smoke than people who don’t use vapes.

Australia is banning all vaping products for recreational use, having previously restricted the sale of nicotine vapes since 2021 to users with a prescription. There’s a thriving black market and studies have shown that many disposable vapes that young people buy do contain nicotine. School suspensions over vaping are rising.

Start your day in the know

Get the latest headlines straight to your inbox.
Please email me competitions, offers and other updates. You can stop these at any time.
By signing up for this newsletter, you agree to NZME’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The importation of non-prescription vapes in Australia will be banned and the sale of vapes in retail settings will be stopped.

Ireland is to introduce legislation banning the sale of vaping products to people aged under 18. Advertising such products will not be permitted near schools and public transport. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly noted that “research tells us that vaping among adolescents increases the likelihood that they will later smoke”.

A crackdown is also underway to prevent child vaping in the UK. There, the sale of addictive nicotine products to people under 18 is banned - but some companies have been giving away free vape samples. The BBC found that illegal vapes removed from students had higher levels of lead, nickel and chromium than was considered safe.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In Australia, one in six teenagers aged 14 to 17 are estimated to have tried vaping. The level of youth vaping in New Zealand, Ireland and Britain is thought to be about 10 to 15 per cent.

A poll has shown public concern about vaping in New Zealand. The Newshub Reid Research poll found 68 per cent support for banning recreational vaping.

Discover more

Opinion

Editorial: Police pursuits under intense scrutiny

30 May 05:00 PM
Editorial

Editorial: Is this Govt soft on crime?

31 May 05:00 PM
Opinion

Editorial: Little progress in tit-for-tat politics

29 May 05:00 PM
Editorial

Editorial: Simple joy, struggle and teamwork behind famous feat

28 May 05:00 PM
The Chartwell Food Centre and vape shop in Glenfield after a ram raid. Photo / Hayden Woodward, File
The Chartwell Food Centre and vape shop in Glenfield after a ram raid. Photo / Hayden Woodward, File

The public health goal of giving people help to quit smoking is a good one. The Government is trying to make the country smoke-free by 2025. For existing smokers, vaping can reduce their exposure to harmful chemicals.

In May, Health Minister Ayesha Verrall emphasised the role of vapes in anti-cigarette smoking measures, saying they need to be “readily available” as regulations on tobacco ramp up.

But she said the problem is getting the balance right in making sure young people did not take it up, adding: “We haven’t got that balance right at the moment”.

Regulations around vaping are expected to soon be updated.

Authorities can at least attempt to reduce levels of vaping at schools, and make it harder for those under-18 to get hold of nicotine vapes.

Realistically, psychological factors which contribute to teens vaping have been around for generations and will not go away.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

As with cigarette and cannabis use and heavy drinking, basic stress has a big role in take-up. Add to that peer pressure, wanting to experiment, trying to be cool, dealing with anxiety and self-consciousness, and attempting to boost confidence.

Perth clinical psychologist Donna Stambulich told the ABC that: “Generally speaking, e-cigarettes go hand in hand with something not quite right with the young person in their life”.

Although vapes are considered a safer alternative to cigarettes, they do have risks and, as a recent phenomenon, there could well be as yet unknown health effects.

Australian research has found vaping can result in seizures, poisoning, lung injury, headaches, nausea. The country’s National Health and Medical Research Council chief executive Professor Anne Kelso said last year that: “I frankly don’t yet know enough about the potential effects of e-cigarette use on conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, reproductive health, respiratory health, mental illness”.

Dr John Blakey, of Australia’s Institute for Respiratory Health, said: “If you are taking organic compounds and heating them and inhaling them and you’re not quite sure what’s in those organic compounds, they certainly can be harmful”.

There could also be damage to the lungs. “For example, they will cause an increase in inflammation in the lung, they cause an increase in the stickiness of bacteria to the airway wall so people are more likely to get infections and infections are more likely to be severe,” he said.

Tobacco smoking is a known high-risk factor for lung cancer and other cancers. The worry is that vaping is a stealthy way of getting a new generation hooked through nicotine, even as smoking has become less popular.



Subscriber benefit

The ability to gift paywall-free articles is a subscriber only benefit. See more offers by clicking the button below.

Already a subscriber?  Sign in here
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from New Zealand

New ZealandUpdated

Brazen hammer heist: Police hunt jewel thief, staff distressed after store raid

05 Jul 05:11 AM
New Zealand

Teen claims Air NZ ghosts her after storm-diverted plane lands at ‘dead’ US airport at 2am

05 Jul 04:40 AM
New Zealand

Afternoon quiz: What is the main cause of coral bleaching?

05 Jul 03:57 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
Māori All Blacks beaten by Scotland
Rugby

Māori All Blacks beaten by Scotland

05 Jul 05:39 AM
Brazen hammer heist: Police hunt jewel thief, staff distressed after store raid
New Zealand

Brazen hammer heist: Police hunt jewel thief, staff distressed after store raid

05 Jul 05:11 AM
'I'm really looking forward': Sharp on racing at familiar Silverstone
Motorsport

'I'm really looking forward': Sharp on racing at familiar Silverstone

05 Jul 05:00 AM
Cause of death revealed as Julian McMahon, 56, dies after private battle
Entertainment

Cause of death revealed as Julian McMahon, 56, dies after private battle

05 Jul 04:42 AM
Teen claims Air NZ ghosts her after storm-diverted plane lands at ‘dead’ US airport at 2am
New Zealand

Teen claims Air NZ ghosts her after storm-diverted plane lands at ‘dead’ US airport at 2am

05 Jul 04:40 AM

Latest from New Zealand

Brazen hammer heist: Police hunt jewel thief, staff distressed after store raid

Brazen hammer heist: Police hunt jewel thief, staff distressed after store raid

05 Jul 05:11 AM

Alleged thief entered before 1pm and then fled the scene in a vehicle after the robbery.

Teen claims Air NZ ghosts her after storm-diverted plane lands at ‘dead’ US airport at 2am

Teen claims Air NZ ghosts her after storm-diverted plane lands at ‘dead’ US airport at 2am

05 Jul 04:40 AM
Afternoon quiz: What is the main cause of coral bleaching?

Afternoon quiz: What is the main cause of coral bleaching?

05 Jul 03:57 AM
Boatie takes speedboat out during PioPio and Te Kūiti flood

Boatie takes speedboat out during PioPio and Te Kūiti flood

From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search