A recent survey showed there had been a 209 percent increase in daily vaping among 13 to 14 year olds. Photo: 123RF
There are growing calls for tighter regulations on vaping as teachers and experts say the problem is spiralling out of control.
A recent survey by ASH New Zealand shows there has been a 209 percent increase in daily vaping among 13 to 14 year olds.
The Australian government has recently announced a ban on recreational vaping and the UK is considering a crack down.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has directed the health minister to bring some suggestions to Cabinet.
Many people on Auckland's streets told Checkpoint vaping was widespread.
"People that don't even smoke cigarettes are moving on to like vaping... what was the point of going on to vape if you weren't even doing it to reduce your your cigarette intake.
"I think it's happening at schools these days, vaping was not around when I was in school," said one woman.
"I think because it's so easily accessible now you know you can get it at dairies, you can get it at, like small convenience stores now," one shopper said.
"There's a whole lot of kids that probably never would have started smoking who have started vaping" - Vaughan Couillaut
Principal of Papatoetoe High School and president of the Secondary Principals' Association Vaughan Couillaut said schools nationwide were dealing with the problem every day.
"I know from my colleagues, my friends, the society that I live in, that we're all dealing with the the downward creep in terms of chronological age, that vaping is managing to reach down into, which has got to be a problem."
Some schools were resorting to the use of CCTV and vape detectors to catch students vaping on school grounds.
Couillaut said despite their best efforts students were getting their hands on vapes no matter what.
"There is the argument that vaping is a good tool to help get you off smoking and that may well be the case.
"But there's a whole lot of kids that probably never would have started smoking who have started vaping."
ASH New Zealand said its February survey showed while smoking rates had fallen to a record low in 13 and 14 year olds, vaping had sky rocketed.
Daily vaping had risen from 3.1 percent in 2019 to 9.6 percent in 2021.
ASH director Ben Youdan said 40 percent of students said the main reason they were vaping was "to give it a try".
"Particularly, I think of concern at the moment is we've seen a really big increase in things like the disposable vapes, which are very, very cheap, very easy to conceal."
More than 75 percent of students were getting vapes from social sources, either friends, older people or family.
Only 7.6 percent of those who regularly vaped said their main source of vapes was a vape shop, dairy or online.
A Quit campaign has been launched this week in Victoria, highlighting the risks of vaping.
Quit's boss and chief executive of the Cancer Council Victoria Tod Harper said it was beneficial for those trying to quit smoking but not for others.
"So we know that for non-smokers who use these products, they're three times as likely to go on and become smokers using tobacco products, which is of course the last thing that we need given the great success that we've had in reducing smoking levels over several decades now."
Aucklanders had mixed opinions on whether New Zealand should make similar moves.
"Some people can't go to afford to go to a GP and afford a prescription to get a vape, people still vape a lot and in Australia you can still get them from TSG's as well without a prescription, so there's always gonna be a loophole around it," one person said.
"Similar to how there is a tobacco tax now, I think something like that should be implemented... you know they're kids and if you make something that expensive, think they would look away from it," another said.