Legislation regulating vaping products and heated tobacco devices has passed the final hurdle in Parliament.
Photo: AFP
The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill introduces a range of regulations that will be phased in over the next two years.
From November, prohibitions will be in place on vaping in the workplace, advertising and sponsorships related to vaping products, and the sale of vaping products and toy products to those under 18 years old.
Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa said the bill strikes the right balance "between helping smokers quit by offering regulated vaping as an alternative, while discouraging children and young people from taking it up".
"We know vaping is not without risks but it is 95 percent less harmful than cigarette smoking. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in this country and contributes to the death of an average 5000 New Zealanders every year," she said.
The bill also limits generic retailers such as dairies, service stations and supermarkets to selling only tobacco, mint and menthol flavoured vaping products, but specialist vape retailers will be able to sell any flavours from their shops and websites.
Salesa said the government also recognised that many smokers needed support and advice to move to less harmful alternatives.
"So the bill allows for the provision of information and advice for those wishing to switch from smoking to vaping," Salesa said.
Read more about vaping here:
- The New Zealand government is preparing to introduce a bill on vape regulation, which would limit vape flavours to tobacco, menthol and mint.
- And Auckland secondary school principals are backing the government's plan to ban most vape flavours, saying vaping is reaching epidemic levels among their students.
- But an American study that came out on 17 September (NZT) found users of mint and menthol e-cigarettes are exposed to high levels of the carcinogen pulegone.
- A study done in NZ showed that smokers who combine vaping with nicotine patches are nearly twice as likely to quit as those using other cessation methods.
- And earlier this year Associate Minister of Health Jenny Salesa said vaping could be the breakthrough to reduce high smoking rates for young Māori women.
- A website that provides information and advice on vaping in New Zealand was launched in June.