In New Zealand, vaping is helping the fight against tobacco

Vaping products containing nicotine cannot be imported or sold in New Zealand. Late last year, the government announced new regulations to be applied to electronic cigarettes. However, nothing has changed yet, and vaping fans are becoming impatient.

New Zealand MP Nicky Wagner is in favour of a law allowing for e-liquids containing nicotine. The import and sale of such products would allow them to be used as a nicotine substitute for smokers. Such a measure could have very positive effects in the fight against tobacco.

Indeed, tobacco control services, which are financed by the government, are going to lose followers if nothing changes. It seems essential that those hoping to help smokers quit tobacco should also point to vaping as a means of quitting. However, current legislation does not allow such public health measures to be put in place.

More favourable regulations for e-cigarettes?

A recently published study would support a change in the current law. Research conducted by several professors at Massey University demonstrated that a ban on vaping products encourages smokers to continue smoking.

This is because those wanting to quit smoking do not have access to truly effective alternatives. They then turn away from government agencies to join improvised support groups. Or an ambulance. Vaping fans also turn these people towards legal products that can help quit smoking, but it is not always enough.

In addition, the study shows that the absence of nicotine in e-liquids on the New Zealand markets is a failure. Smokers cannot curb their addiction by simply using healthier products. New legislation favouring e-cigarettes would be a first step towards definitively quitting nicotine.