Recent changes by the Ministry of Health have not banned disposable vaping products
With smoking rates currently sitting at around 8%, New Zealand’s smokefree success is globally celebrated. The sharp decline in smoking numbers is clearly attributed to our evidence-based vaping legislation which has promoted equitable access aligned to public health objectives.
The true impact of vaping was recently summed up by Ben Youdan from ASH who said, “In the last two years, the daily smoking rate for wāhine Māori has dropped by one-third”, in 25 years of working in this field, he has never seen anything like it, and it is almost entirely a result of wāhine Māori switching to vaping. But with 5,000 people still dying each year from smoking-related illnesses, health professionals are in strong agreement that now is not the time to drastically reduce access to vaping products.
Recent changes by the Ministry of Health to vaping regulations have left the industry trying to wrap its head around what the changes actually mean. Despite multiple requests for more information there has been very little explanation supplied by the Ministry. There is no disposable ban, disposable products have been given their own category within the regulations. They will, from 21 December 2023, be required to have a replaceable battery and meet lower nicotine levels.
VIANZ's position has always been that non-smokers, and particularly young people, should not be vaping. In terms of helping adult smokers quit, disposable devices play a strong role – their relative affordability and ease of use removes financial barriers and delivers social equity by allowing all smokers to try an alternative to cigarettes.
Enforcement of the regulations remains the single largest barrier to reducing youth vaping. VIANZ has repeatedly reached out to provide support on how to deliver meaningful change in this space, but the previous Government has consistently proven unwilling to engage. We hope with the recent change of Government we will be able to collaborate in a positive way that will protect our young people while ensuring smokers maintain access to the products, they so desperately need to quit smoking.
The recent introduction of new battery regulations has unfortunately resulted in confusion for manufacturers, retailers and consumers – it appears there will be zero impact on disposable devices and their availability.
The current regulations have been created without a true understanding of the technology and the risks, and while we are quite sure this confusion is an unintended consequence, the impact needs addressing urgently. Until the confusion around the battery technology is clarified by officials, industry remains unclear and as such, we anticipate there is going to be a wide range of products available in the market – some of which may appear to be noncompliant.
