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The New Zealand government has announced that the disposable vape ban will be delayed until October.
Vape users can still buy disposable vapes in the next 6 months.
The delayed regulations include vapes with removable batteries and child-safety mechanisms. This means disposable vapes can still be sold without restrictions for the next 6 months.
Deputy Health Minister Casey Costello explains the reason for the extension. She says it is to ensure quitting smokers have access to disposable vapes. Another reason is to have time to ensure regulations cannot be circumvented by vape manufacturers.
“For that reason, we wanted to ensure that there is still an adequate supply of reusable vapes available for over-18s. Other countries are addressing this problem too. So we want to align our efforts and ensure regulations align with international standards.”
The minister said the government had not received any consultation or lobbying from industry before making the decision. However, now that the decision has been made.
“I will be talking to the vaping industry and to other groups to make sure that we get the right regulations in place.”
Vapes are an important tool in deterring New Zealanders from smoking.
According to the New Zealand Health Survey, daily smoking rates in the 15 to 17 age group will increase from 8.3% in 2022 to 15.4% in 2023. The number of these young smokers is about 32,000. But, Costello says vapes are an important tool in deterring New Zealanders from smoking as youth smoking rates increased.
“Vaping is far safer than smoking tobacco and it’s a key reason that 230,000 people stopped smoking over the last three years.”
The New Zealand government and Costello stand by their decision to delay the rules. And, the changes to the legislation will be submitted to a select committee to ensure the public has their say.
“As a government, we’re clear we want to continue to reduce smoking and stop young people smoking and vaping. That’s why we’ve made these decisions.”
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