New Zealand Offers Free Vaping Kits to Help Adults Quit Smoking
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Wellington, Dec 31 (NationPress) The government of New Zealand will distribute vaping kits at no cost to adults wishing to quit smoking beginning next week.
The Stop Smoking Services throughout New Zealand will receive vaping starter kits, which will be available for free to adult smokers, especially targeting those who have previously attempted other methods to quit, as stated by Associate Health Minister Casey Costello on Tuesday.
"Vaping has been instrumental in lowering smoking rates, and the government endorses adults transitioning to vaping since it is significantly less harmful than smoking cigarettes," Costello mentioned, adding that individuals utilizing quit smoking services are four times more likely to successfully cease smoking compared to those without assistance.
New Zealand aims to reduce the smoking rate to below 5 percent by the end of next year, as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
Earlier this year, the Health Coalition Aotearoa (HCA) criticized the government's plans to repeal new smoke-free initiatives that could quickly save thousands of lives.
The HCA expressed disappointment in seeing prominent figures, such as the Chair and Director of Action on Smoking and Health, defending the repeal while downplaying the harms of smoking, especially for Maori and Pacific peoples, advocating vaping as the primary tobacco control strategy, and implying that a smoke-free generation has already been achieved.
A survey conducted by New Zealand Health found a notable decline in daily smoking rates.
"However, it is essential not to underestimate the severe harm caused by smoked tobacco and to take every possible action to mitigate that harm," the HCA emphasized, adding that the current daily smokers represent approximately 284,000 New Zealanders who are suffering irreparable damage and will face early deaths.
The report indicated that Maori daily smoking rates are 2.5 times higher than those of non-Maori, standing at 17 percent.
In the 2021-2022 Health Survey, the daily smoking rate among Pacific peoples was recorded at 18.1 percent.
The HCA stated that New Zealand's tobacco control measures alone will not suffice to meet the Smokefree 2025 objective, which seeks to achieve less than 5 percent smoking rates across all ethnic groups without implementing new smoke-free law measures.
A survey indicated that a majority of New Zealanders wish to maintain the smoke-free law, including initiatives to reduce the allowable nicotine content in cigarettes, decrease the number of retailers, and prohibit cigarette sales to future generations.
