June 7 (Reuters) – New Zealand unveiled measures on Monday to curb e-cigarette smoking among young people, from restricting e-cigarette sales near schools to banning the use of some disposable e-cigarettes while expanding an aggressive anti-smoking campaign, Reuters reported.
Although the Pacific nation has one of the lowest adult smoking rates among 38 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, it has banned future generations from smoking in a push to become smoke-free by 2025.
Dr. Ayesha Verrall said there are now so many young people using e-cigarettes that it is unrealistic to complete the anti-smoking campaign in the short term, so the plan is to start the program in August and gradually complete the measures over the next six months. While the government hopes the devices will serve as an alternative to smoking, Verrall claims to create a future in which vaping tobacco products is not addictive.
Citing research data, the report said the number of people over the age of 15 in the country who smoked all types of e-cigarettes daily increased by 6.2 percent from 2021 to 2022 compared to the previous year, a figure that stood at 9.2 percent in the youth group. According to data released by the New Zealand Ministry of Health, 1/4 of the country’s primary and secondary schools have e-cigarette stores nearby. In addition, the disposable e-cigarettes sold on the market are putting enormous pressure on environmental efforts.
As of August, all e-cigarettes sold in New Zealand will need to have removable or replaceable batteries, limiting the availability of compact disposable e-cigarettes popular with young people, she said. The hope is that e-cigarettes will be as far away from children being able to stay away from them as possible, and also that young people will be less likely to have e-cigarette products within their thoughts and exposure. He added that the new store will be at least 300 meters (328 yards) away from schools and synagogues or gathering places in Māori communities.
Vapes will require child-safe mechanisms and prohibit the use of attractive names, such as marshmallow, while unadorned packaging is considered.
The government announced that the sale of disposable e-cigarettes will be banned nationwide from November this year and other e-cigarettes from March next year. New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told the media that the growing number of young people smoking e-cigarettes was a major reason for the country’s decision to clamp down on them.