Media release: Major vaping reforms: Will they deliver on public health aims?

New laws coming into effect tomorrow (17 June) could mark an important step toward reducing youth vaping in Aotearoa New Zealand, but public health experts say rigorous enforcement is essential.

From tomorrow, there are new restrictions on how vape products can be marketed and displayed, and the sale of disposable vapes becomes unlawful. General retailers such as dairies will no longer be able to display vape products in-store, and online retailers must remove product images. Loyalty schemes, discounts, giveaways, and promotional emails will also be disallowed.

In the latest Public Health Communication Centre Briefing, Dr Jude Ball and co-authors from the University of Otago’s research group ASPIRE say many of these changes align with proven strategies from tobacco control that helped reduce smoking among young people. 

“Putting vape products out of sight is an important move. It is likely to reduce uptake of vaping among young people and will also support people who are trying to quit vaping,” says Dr Ball. 

She says ending the sale of disposables, the vape of choice for the majority of young people, has environmental benefits, but whether it will achieve the policy goal of reducing affordability and access for young people is less clear. “The vape industry has already responded by introducing low-cost reusable alternatives, which could blunt the impact. Non-compliance could also impact the effectiveness of the policy, so strict enforcement will be vital.” The authors say that only stronger affordability controls, such as a vape excise tax, will fully address the price appeal of these products.

While the measures close some critical loopholes, they say more is needed to reduce youth vaping and related harm. “A comprehensive approach would include stronger affordability controls such as a vape excise tax, support for young people who want to quit, limit vape store proliferation especially near schools, and reduce vape retailer clustering in low-income neighbourhoods,” according to Dr Ball.

“Youth vaping rates in NZ are among the highest in the world. If these measures are going to work, the Government needs to implement robust enforcement and monitoring to ensure the law delivers on its promise.