Government shouldn’t fund ‘less-bad’ addictions to quit smoking – Editorial

Vaping might be less harmful than smoking, but it is not harmless. Photo / 123rf

THE FACTS

• The Government has distributed 3430 vape kits to help people quit smoking, costing $575,000.
• Vape use continues to rise among New Zealanders.
• Vaping has not been around long enough to know how much long-term harm it causes.

Tobacco, mint and watermelon.

They’re not just the scents of your favourite artisanal soaps and body lotions. They’re also the flavours of vape pods that the Government is handing out to people attempting to give up smoking.

Since a pilot initiative started in January, 3430 vape kits, which include vape devices and flavoured pods, have been handed out to some people who are trying to give up smoking cigarettes.

Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora says its total expenditure on the kits was $575,000.

The health organisation is now seeking quotes from the vaping industry to buy more of the kits, suggesting the contract would “enhance the supplier’s profile and credibility” in the regulated vaping market.

It’s a programme that leaves a funny taste in one’s mouth when considering that vaping numbers surpassed smoking a few years ago and, according to the New Zealand Health Survey, continues to rise.

“Among adults aged 25 to 64 years, increases in daily vaping are similar in size to decreases in daily smoking,” the survey says.

It’s good to see our smoking rates are declining. The negative health effects of smoking tobacco are well known and include increased risk of cancer, strokes, lung disease, problems in pregnancy and heart attacks – all of which directly impact our public health system.

Furthermore, it is generally thought that vaping is a better alternative to smoking, as the vape liquids - while still containing the highly addictive nicotine – avoid many of the toxins that are inhaled when burning tobacco.

But vaping has not been around long enough to know whether it definitely causes any long-term harm.

It comes with a list of potential risks, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

As well as the obvious nicotine addiction, risks include dangers to pregnant women and foetuses, cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals such as nickel and lead, tiny particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs, and disease-causing chemicals in some flavourings.

Vaping may be less harmful than smoking, but it is definitely not harmless.

And its efficacy as a smoking cessation tool is still up for debate.

A 2022 study found that of 100 Kiwi smokers who opted into a “vape-to-quit” programme, 16 were not smoking or vaping after six months and 53 of them became new vapers.

Twenty-two of the new vapers continued to smoke cigarettes and became “dual users”, while the remaining 31% of vapers were not smoking.

This shows it is useful to explore vapes as a smoking cessation tool, as long as complete cessation – vaping included – is the end goal.

We should not be publicly funding a “less-bad” but still harmful addiction – and we certainly should not be “enhancing the supplier’s profile and credibility” while we do so.