NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT ENDORSES VAPING TO QUIT
The New Zealand Government launched an initiative to set the record straight about vaping and demonstrates how smokefree 2025 is achievable
The Ministry of Health — Manatū Hauora and the Health Promotion Agency/Te Hiringa Hauora have launched Vaping Facts, an initiative designed to dispel the myths and rumours surrounding vaping.
The website is written for the general public and provides clear and accurate information on the different types of vaping products available on the market. Importantly, this move gives a clear position of the status of vaping from the Government and dispels the misinformation around vaping safety.
The site is broken down into three sections:
1. Vaping facts - The vaping facts section gives clear evidence-based information on the known benefits of vaping E-Liquids as a smoking cessation tool. There is also general information around vaping including the various types of E-Liquid devices on the market.
On her Journey to quit smoking Kura talks to Professor Hayden McRobbie about vaping as an option to quit. (Credit to vapingfacts.health.nz)
2. Vaping vs smoking – This HPA demonstrates the benefits of switching from smoking tobacco to vaping E-Liquid. It covers information about nicotine consumption and the feel and costs & benefits of switching. The relative harm graph below (taken from the vaping facts site) shows that vaping is 95-98% less harmful than smoking – a fact made know by years of Public Health England research. This information is helpful for ex-smokers and for never-smokers that question those making the switch (we have all heard someone say “I hear vaping is worse for you than smoking”, which is, of course, wildly incorrect).
3. Vaping to quit smoking - Here the Government compares vaping to other ways of quitting smoking like nicotine replacement therapy, cold turkey and stop smoking medicines. Its outlines how you can keep the social side of smoking by vaping to quit and shows evidence that vaping is almost twice as effective for people trying to quit.
“E-cigarettes were more effective for smoking cessation than nicotine-replacement therapy, when both products were accompanied by behavioral support.” - A Randomized Trial of E-Cigarettes versus Nicotine-Replacement Therapy
Overall, this initiative from the Government is positive. It signals progress on regulatory compliance process in New Zealand. It also highlights the lack of quality assurance and E-Liquid manufacturing standards in the current state of the market.
The next step in the process is for proposed E-Liquid regulations to be released for consultation. Keep an eye on our site for our next update where we explore the lack of standards in the E-Liquid industry, what we can expect from vaping regulations and how this will impact vapers, E-Liquid retailers and E-Liquid manufacturers in New Zealand and Australia.