Source: New Zealand Government
- No sales to under-18-year-olds
- No advertising and sponsorship of vaping products and e-cigarettes
- No vaping or smokeless tobacco in smokefree areas
- Regulates vaping product safety comprehensively, – including devices, flavours and ingredients
- Ensure vaping products are available for those who want to quit smoking
Vaping regulation that balances helping cigarette smokers quit while not encouraging new users, will be introduced to Parliament tomorrow, Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa says.
“The Bill aims to strike the right balance between making sure vaping is available for smokers who want to use it as a quit tool for cigarettes while ensuring vaping products are not marketed or sold to children and young people,” Jenny Salesa said.
The new law will:
- ban the sale of vaping products to under-18-year-olds
- prohibit advertising of vaping products and smokeless tobacco
- restrict the sale of flavoured vaping products and e-cigarettes to R-18 specialty stores
- limit general retailers, including dairies and service stations, to only sell three flavours
- introduce a product safety system – which enables the Ministry of health to recall, suspend and issue warnings about vaping products
“This is a considered approach that responds to many of the concerns regarding vaping,” Jenny Salesa says.
“Our Government has heard from a large number of smokers who say vaping is helpful for them to able to quit cancer-causing cigarettes. However we have also heard from parents, teachers and principals who want to make sure vaping companies are stopped from marketing to kids.”
“I am proud our Government is introducing a Bill that helps New Zealand achieve our Smokefree 2025 Goal by giving smokers choices in how they give up, but that it also discourages our kids from taking vaping up if they’ve never smoked before.”
The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill will be introduced to Parliament on Monday, 24 February. It will receive its first reading in March when the Bill will then be referred to the Health Select Committee.
“The Government is keen to hear from New Zealanders about where they think the appropriate balance for vaping regulation should be set. I look forward to everyone having their say at Select Committee”.
“This is the most significant change to New Zealand’s smokefree laws since they were introduced 30 years ago,” Jenny Salesa said.
Note: The Ministry of Health has more information about what these changes would mean, as well as the proposed legislation and recent Cabinet paper on this issue, here.
