May 31, 2023
Child docs breathe heavy over vape sales
As World Smokefree Day highlights what’s needed to get to a smokefree Aotearoa by 2025, differences are emerging between tobacco control and medical experts about the role of vaping.
Action on Smoking and Health and some cancer researchers say there needs to be ready access to vaping because of the known damage caused by smoking tobacco,
But the Paediatric Society of New Zealand/Te Kāhui Mātai Arotamariki o Aotearoa is calling for action to reduce access to vapes for young people.
Spokesperson Dr Colette Muir says the long term risks are still unknown, but any addiction affects learning and behaviour.
“We do have issues about what might this be doing to the delicate lung tissue in the longer term and certainly my paediatric respiratory, my lung specialist colleagues say we’re a little bit worried about that, particularly for people who haven’t been smoking, but really my concern is do we want young people to be dealing with this too? Why can’t they go an be young people and thinking about other stuff,” she says.
The Paediatric Society wants a ban on disposable vapes, restrictions on sales outlets near schools or places young people gather, and controls on advertising.