Luke Kirkness on vaping: Why we should follow Australia’s lead on clamping down

OPINION

There are more specialist vape stores than McDonald’s outlets in New Zealand.

That might sound like a twisted version of Super Size Me but it’s no laughing matter.

Despite the fact many vapes are a stepping stone to helping adults quit cigarettes, they have gained popularity among young people at an alarming rate. The number of 15- to 17-year-olds who vape each day has quadrupled in three years according to the most recent New Zealand Health Survey, from about 2 per cent in 2018-19 to about 8 per cent in 2021-22.

The Government introduced Specialist Vape Retailers, a specific class of retailers that are exempt from restrictions that apply to general retailers, in 2020.

General retailers such as diaries and convenience stores can only sell three basic vape flavours: tobacco, menthol and mint.

A specialist retailer, however, is a physical store where more than 70 per cent of stock is vaping products and can sell a full range of flavours.

But what happened? A loophole appeared and suddenly these specialist stores sprouted up.

It turns out retailers could set up a vaping shop within existing their stores, creating a store-within-a-store scenario, allowing an excessive number to emerge and also making vaping products far too accessible.

The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation conducted a survey that revealed some shocking statistics.

Over 50 per cent of high school students obtained their vapes from dairies, while another 43.5 per cent got them from family and friends.

That’s an alarming figure, considering that it’s illegal to sell vaping products to people under 18.

I believe the current regulations (and some family members) are not doing enough to protect our young people.

The Government’s recent actions to reduce the number of young people vaping, announced this week, are a step in the right direction.

The Government is trying to make it harder for young people to pick up and continue vaping through a suite of measures to make vapes less accessible and less attractive to young Kiwis. Photo / Bevan Conley

From August, vaping devices will require removable or replaceable batteries, limiting the sale of cheap disposable vapes.

Potentially enticing names such as “cotton candy” and “strawberry jelly doughnut” will also be banned — only generic names accurately describing the flavours will be allowed.

Additionally, new shops will be restricted from setting up within 300m of schools and marae.

Child safety mechanisms for vapes will be mandatory as well.

But it’s outrageous that the Ministry of Health has no accurate records of the number of general retailers selling vapes in New Zealand.

With a new requirement under the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act coming into force from October 2023, all people selling vaping products must notify the director general.

This step will help bring much-needed transparency and control to the vaping industry.

While these measures are commendable, they don’t go far enough.

It’s time to follow Australia where vapes are set to face strict regulations.

Non-prescription vapes will be banned from importation, and the sale of vapes will be limited to pharmacies with pharmaceutical-like packaging.

Certain flavours, colours, and ingredients will be banned, and the concentration and volume of nicotine will be reduced.

Australia is taking the issue seriously, and so should we.

It’s time to tackle this issue head-on and implement stricter measures around the sale and importation of vapes.

The time for action is now.

Luke Kirkness is an assistant news director for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, covering general news. He previously worked at the New Zealand Herald for three years, mainly as a consumer affairs reporter. He won Student Journalist of the Year in 2019 at the Voyager Media Awards.