Film Shows Govt Needs to Wake up to Vaping

12 MAY 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Following the world premiere in Wellington last night of the documentary, A Billion Lives,the Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Government to recognise the harm reduction benefits of legalising the sale of nicotine-infused e-cigarettes as a better alternative to continuing to hike tobacco excise taxes. Taxpayers’ Union Spokesperson, Ben Craven, who attended the premiere, says:

“As is explained in the film, most of the harm from smoking is caused by inhaling burning substances, rather than ingesting nicotine. Vaping allows people to kick the smoking habit by providing a far less harmful alternative. The recent report from the UK's Royal College of Physicians couldn't be clearer on the benefits of e-cigarettes.”

“In New Zealand health bureaucrats perversely allow the public to purchase nicotine-patches, and nicotine-containing chewing gum and lozenges, yet refuse to allow people to legally purchase nicotine-infused liquid for e-cigarettes. More perverse still, the most common form of legal nicotine consumption, and unarguably the most lethal, remains cigarettes.”

“Legalising vaping would save lives. In the UK it is the number one smoking-cessation tool. But in New Zealand, the Government appears to be more interested in preserving tax revenue from traditional cigarettes rather than taking a simple step that would result in better health outcomes.”

"Perhaps, as the documentary suggests, it is all about the money after all."

ENDS

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