Vape shops are turning up inside dairies across New Zealand. Photo / Bevan Conley
OPINION
Did you know there is a Vaping Regulatory Authority?
Well, there is. And, in my view, it has shown itself to be a nutbar organisation.
I’ve come to that view after reading its response to Christchurch woman Jane Gardiner’s concerns about her local dairy building a small kiosk or pantry inside the premises, and running it as a separate vape shop.
The Thorrington Dairy on Colombo St is just down the road from Thorrington School, and the owners have decided to cash in on the vaping craze and have built what I would describe as a booth or a pantry inside the shop, and they’re running it as a vape shop.
There’s still the one doorway into the place. And signs outside and on the door say “Cashmere Clouds Vape Shop” and “Vape Shop Open”.
Jane Gardiner, who lives in the area, sees what’s happening and gets in touch with this Vaping Regulatory Authority, asking how on earth a dairy can get away with selling vapes so close to a primary school; a dairy being a place, of course, where people of all ages go. Not just those over the age of 18.
And so she gets a response from the Vaping Regulatory Authority, saying there’s no ban on selling vapes near schools. But it’s what this person from the vaping authority says next that is really nutbar.
Now bear in mind that, in this particular shop, the Thorrington Dairy, they’ve put up what I would describe as a small pantry - there’s no door on it - and it’s got the drinks chiller on one side, and chocolate bars and other things on the other side.
They’ve stuck a laminated sign saying “Cashmere Cloud Vape Shop” on the outside of this pantry thing. They’ve also stuck one of those LED “Open” signs to it.
So picture this, a small pantry between the drinks chiller and chocolate bars and things - and how does this person from the Vaping Regulatory Authority describe it in his letter?
“The specialist vape retailer is a separate retail premise (booth) from the dairy with its own point of sale separate to the dairy. Therefore, this approved vaping premises complies with the requirements outlined in the Act.”
The Act, by the way, is the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990. Did you hear that? 1990. Thirty-two years ago. Had vapes even been invented in 1990? I don’t think so.
So Mr Vaping Authority thinks it’s all fine and nothing to see here.
Well Mr Vaping Authority, I think you’re wrong. And I’m with Jane Gardiner on this one.
It is ludicrous to suggest that a piddly pantry built inside a dairy is a “separate retail premises” as Mr Vaping Authority describes it.
I detest vapes and vaping.
I detest it because I think we’ve all been taken for a ride by the vape industry, which told us, didn’t it, that it was all about the wellbeing of people wanting to quit cigarettes.
What a load of old nonsense that’s turned out to be, with shiny vape shops all over the place and school principals telling us there is a vaping crisis out there with truckloads of kids and teenagers sucking on the blimmin’ things. Kids and teenagers who have never touched a cigarette.
So the old line about vapes supporting healthy lifestyle choices has just turned out to be a real con, hasn’t it?
And it is ludicrous that we’ve now reached a point where we’ve got the likes of Mr Vaping Authority saying that nothing more than a pantry inside a dairy constitutes a separate retail outlet.
Absolutely ludicrous.
Now if we have to have vapes, they should only be sold in dedicated retail outlets, not in dairies, next to the cold drinks and chocolate bars and $1 mixtures.
Just like vapes, alcohol can’t be sold to people younger than 18, and do you think dairies would get away with selling grog? Of course not! And vapes should be treated exactly the same way.
- John MacDonald is the Canterbury Mornings host on Newstalk ZB Christchurch
The vehicle was damaged while later being towed and an $11k claim by the owner followed.