March 07, 2018
Hapai puts heat on Heets
Maori public health organisation Hapai Te Hauora is backing a Ministry of Health prosecution of tobacco giant Philip Morris.
The Ministry has laid charges against the New Zealand subsidiary of the multinational over the importation and sale of its Heets product, which are tobacco sticks that are heated in an electronic device, rather than burned like a traditional cigarette.
The Ministry argues Heets falls into the category of tobacco products designed for ‘oral use other than for smoking’, which are prohibited under current law.
Hapai chief executive Lance Norman says by bringing in the devices Philip Morris seemed to believe it was above the law.
He says with smoking responsible for 5,000 deaths in New Zealand each year and smoking rates for Maori double that of the general population, such products deliver a major insult to whanau ora.
In Japan, Heets now account for more than 10 percent of tobacco sales and Philip Morris is promoting the heat not burn technology as a healther replacement for traditional cigarettes.
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