The Government has announced new measures to address the volume of vapes infiltrating New Zealand’s schoolyards.
Those measures have been revealed one day before other vape regulations were due kick in. So what is being done to combat youth vaping?
No more cotton candy-type flavours from tomorrow
The previous Labour government announced several vaping regulations last year, which were due to come into effect tomorrow (March 21).
Associate Health Minister Casey Costello confirmed some of those regulations will still go ahead on that date, however others have been deferred until later in the year.
Disposable vapes will be "completely banned" and some fines for shops selling to minors will increase tenfold. (Source: 1News)
Labour’s regulations included reducing the maximum concentration of nicotine allowed in vapes and banning vape flavour names like “cotton candy” and “strawberry jelly donut”.
Only generic names which described the flavours – such as berry or cinnamon – could be used from tomorrow. The Ministry of Health website has a list of the flavour descriptions that were allowed.
The previous government restricted new specialist vape stores from setting up within 300 metres of schools and marae and moved to ensure all vapes sold in New Zealand had removeable batteries and child safety mechanisms.
However, today Costello said the requirement for reusable vapes to have removable batteries and child proofing mechanisms had been pushed back until October 1.
This was to ensure there were enough products still available to help people quit smoking, she said.
New measures for clearing the air
The Government announced new measures to address youth vaping today, including:
- A complete ban on disposable vapes
- Significant increases in fines for vape sales to under-18s
- Further restrictions on vape retailers
- A better enforcement system.
The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act would be amended to ban the manufacture and sale of disposable vaping products, Costello said.
“Too many teenagers continue to use disposable vapes – they’re cheap and remain too easy to get, despite changes under the previous government. That’s why these cheap, single-use vape products will be banned outright,” she said.
The maximum fine available for retailers caught selling vapes to people aged under 18 would become 10 times higher than it was previously – jumping from $10,000 to $100,000.
The penalty for infringement offences was also rising – from $500 to $1000 for individuals and to $2000 for businesses.
Specialist vape stores would face tighter restrictions on matters such as storefront displays and staffing, while licensing and compliance regimes would also be reviewed.
For and against the measures
Action for Smokefree 2025 said it welcomed today’s new measures, saying disposable vapes currently "cost pocket money prices, are easy to conceal and set a very low barrier for young people".
It said it was pleased to see "more explicit action on youth prevention" when it came to vaping.
However, the Taxpayers’ Union said the ban on disposable vapes would drive people back to smoking.
"Current issues with youth vaping, although they are on the decline according to the latest ASH survey, are a failure of enforcement not of policy," spokesman Connor Molloy said.
"We welcome the proposed changes in relation to harsher penalties and enforcement for those illegally selling vaping products to minors but extending this crackdown to a ban on disposable vapes will simply drive people back towards smoking and encourage a blackmarket of unregulated vaping products as seen in Australia."
SHARE ME