April 05, 2024
Social supply target in anti-vaping plan
Associate Health Minister Casey Costello says she’s committed to getting smoking rates down – but she wants programmes that actually address the greatest need, including Māori and Pasifika smoking.
The Government has come under fire for dropping smokefree regulations which would have limited the number of tobacco outlets and reduced nicotine levels in tobacco products,
Ms Costello says they were based on the false idea that reducing supply would reduce demands – and she wants to address demand, espcially in Māori and Pasifika.
While vaping is a valuable cessation tool, the previous Government let it get out of hand, especially with a lack of penalties, enforcement or public education programmes.
“Nearly 75 percent from the statistics we have seen is social supply, it’s family and older siblings supplying to younger people so we need to work out a whole range of education and informative stuff that talks about vaping because although we say it is less harm, it is not without harm,”Minister Costello says.
She wants to revisit what had been successful vape to quit programmes.