Nicotine e-cigarettes to become legal
Hon Nicky Wagner
Associate Minister of Health
29 March 2017 Media Statement
Nicotine
e-cigarettes to become legal
Associate Health Minister Nicky Wagner today announced the sale of nicotine e-cigarettes and e-liquid will be made legal with appropriate controls.
“Scientific evidence on the safety of e-cigarettes is still developing but there’s a general consensus that vaping is much less harmful than smoking,” Ms Wagner says.
“The Government is taking a cautious approach by aligning the regulations around vaping with those for cigarettes. This ensures cigarette smokers have access to a lower-risk alternative while we continue to discourage people from smoking or vaping in the first place.”
New rules for all
e-cigarettes, whether or not they contain nicotine,
include:
• Restricting sales to those 18 years
and over
• Prohibiting vaping in indoor
workplaces and other areas where smoking is banned under the
Smoke-free Environments Act
• Restricting
advertising to limit the attraction of e-cigarettes to
non-smokers, especially children and young people.
“This is an opportunity to see if restricted access to e-cigarettes and e-liquid can help lower our smoking rates, reduce harm and save lives,” Ms Wagner says.
“The Government is strongly committed to achieving our goal of a smoke-free New Zealand by 2025.”
All
vaping products will need to meet quality and safety
standards. The Ministry of Health will set up a technical
advisory group to help define these standards.
A
regulatory regime will also be established so the Ministry
can consider whether other emerging tobacco and
nicotine-delivery products should be regulated as consumer
products in future.
“Public consultation showed a strong appetite for change so the Government is looking to introduce an amendment to the Smoke-free Environments Act this year. The changes will likely come into force later in 2018,” Ms Wagner says.
The Ministry of Health will continue to monitor the evidence concerning e-cigarettes and other emerging tobacco and nicotine-delivery products.
Note: Q&A attached.
http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1703/QandA__ecigarettes.pdf
ends