New Zealand To Regulate Vaping, Smokeless Tobacco Products

WELLINGTON, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Nov, 2018 ) :New Zealand Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa introduced plans to regulate vaping and smokeless tobacco products on Friday.

The Smoke-free Environments Act 1990 (SFEA) will be amended next year to give smokers more confidence in the quality of vaping and smokeless tobacco products, while also protecting children and young people from the risks associated with them, Salesa said in a statement.

"We are supporting New Zealanders to be healthier by helping smokers switch to safer products, and at the same time protecting people who don't smoke, especially young people," Salesa said.

The proposed changes to the SFEA will put a stop to vaping and similar smokeless tobacco products in places such as restaurants and workplaces, as with cigarettes, she said, adding there will also be changes to the way vaping products are displayed in retail stores. This will be similar to retail advertising of tobacco products.

This approach reflects the findings from the Ministry of Health's public consultation in 2016 which showed overwhelming support for the continued prohibition of sales of vaping products to under 18-year-olds.

The public will have a say on the legislative amendments proposed when the select committee calls for submissions next year, according to the minister.

Smoking rates are dropping in New Zealand. In 2016-2017, 13.8 percent of New Zealand adults were daily smokers. That is down from 14.2 percent of adults in 2015-2016 and 18.3 percent the previous year. Still, there arean estimated 5,000 smoking related deaths every year, statistics show.

"The best thing smokers can do for their health and that of their whanau (family) is to quit altogether but sometimes it's tough," Salesa said, adding this is another step toward achieving a smoke-free country by 2025.