The Vaping Regulatory Authority has found some vaping products contain too much nicotine after a review prompted by questions from Fair Go.
The Authority has looked at over 8000 products on sale here which had been notified to its register.
"For the majority of the products reviewed, no issues have been found, but in some cases, information provided by the manufacturer or importer indicated that they could include prohibited ingredients or they could have nicotine salt levels that exceed the legal limit," says Vaping Regulatory Authority manager Matthew Burgess.
“Following the review, companies have withdrawn notifications for 340 vaping products, meaning they can no longer be legally sold in New Zealand. We will be publishing a list of products that are no longer notified on the Ministry of Health website shortly.”
Up 1800 other vaping products could still be taken off shelves. The authority is working with companies that make or sell them and has given them until next week to provide more information.
Fair Go began investigating illegal sales of vapes to underage customers, and showed a 14-year-old mystery shopper with no identification could buy vapes over the counter.
It's since been investigating the confusing labelling of vapes and the concentrations of nicotine in some of them.
Some manufacturers and importers appear to have been selling vapes that contain nicotine salts that deliver up to 80% more nicotine than the law allows.
Supporters of high-strength vapes argue they're closer to the tobacco-smoking experience, which they argue is essential to weaning smokers off cigarettes.
Advocates for stricter controls say vapes here are too strong and promote addiction, especially for young vapers who aren't already smoking.
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