April 04, 2024
Push for chewing tobacco predatory
Public health researchers are warning about a new wave of oral tobacco products targeted at the next generation of nicotine addicts.
Dr Jude Ball, a senior research fellow at the University of Otago, says the Government appears poised to allow the sale of products such as chewing tobacco and snoos, arguing it will give people more choice if they want to switch from smoking.
She says there are already options such as nicotine replacement.
It’s just opening another door to a predatory industry that has shown it has no interest in healthy choices.
“Youth smoking rates had dropped hugely and particularly Maori youth smoking rates. Then vaping came along and we’ve got this new generation addiced to nicotine,” Dr Ball says.
While it is now illegal to sell oral tobacco products in New Zealand, people can import them and the tobacco industry is aggressively marketing them to young people over the internet.