New Zealand has the tools to tackle vaping – Editorial

Vaping might seem safer than smoking, but the long-term risks are starting to show. Photo / 123rf

Editorial

THE FACTS

• Daily smoking in New Zealand dropped to 6.9% in 2023/24, from 16.4% 12 years ago.
• However, daily vaping rose to 11.1% in 2023/24, with high youth vaping rates.
• New Government rules ban disposable vapes and restrict advertising and display.

While New Zealand has been quietly winning the battle against smoking over the past decade, a new frontier has emerged.

Smoking rates have plummeted.

In 2023/24, the prevalence of daily smoking was 6.9%, down from 16.4% 12 years earlier, according to the Ministry of Health.

But coinciding with that important public health achievement has been a rapid rise in vaping.

Daily vaping was 0.9% when first measured in 2015/16.

In 2023/24, that has shot up to 11.1%.

Vaping was, especially early on, touted as a less harmful alternative to tobacco smoking.

It was even cautiously encouraged as a tool to quit tobacco.

And while it worked for some, it is by no means safe.

Vaping has been linked to lung inflammation and damage, exacerbating asthma symptoms and worsening ability to exercise.

Of particular concern is how many young people are vaping because we know it’s much easier to never start than to quit.

New Zealand has one of the highest youth vaping rates in the world.

The latest national snapshot showed around 14% of 14 to 15-year-olds vaped at least once a month.

And so, it is fitting that new Government rules introduced on Tuesday will begin to push vaping down the path we carved out in the fight against tobacco smoking.

The distribution, manufacture, sale and supply of disposable vapes is now banned, although refillable vapes can still be sold.

Vaping devices, products and packaging can no longer be displayed at general retailers.

Specialist vape stores must not display products in any way that makes them visible from outside their place of business.

There are also many new restrictions on advertising to promote or encourage the use of vaping products, including to existing customers.

These are all tools we acquired in the fight against smoking – and they’ve been proven to work.

Cutting off visibility, visual appeal and ease of access were all effective tools in reducing smoking rates and will no doubt do the same for vaping.

And there are many other tools in the box – from price increases to outright bans – which could come further down the line.

The current Smokefree New Zealand goal aims to have less than 5% of the population smoking by December, but the latest data reveals there are still about 300,000 daily smokers across the country.

Smokefree New Zealand will soon be achieved.

Then we can take everything we’ve learned in achieving that and apply it to becoming vape-free.

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