Eight Taranaki retailers sold vape products to people under the age of 18 in a recent undercover vaping controlled purchase operation (CPO).

A total of 40 premises were visited over two days in August by Te Whatu Ora National Public Health Service. Carly Stevenson, Smoke-free Enforcement Officer for the Te Whatu Ora National Public Health Service in Taranaki says this is a disappointing result.

"Some of these retailers had been visited by public health staff just a few days prior to the CPO to remind them of their obligations and they still failed to comply with the law," Stevenson said.

It is illegal to sell vapes to children. If someone looks under 25, retailers must ask for ID, with the only acceptable forms of identification being a New Zealand drivers’ licence, passport, or valid 18+ card. A retailer who sells vaping products to anyone aged under 18 will be referred to the Ministry of Health and may be issued with an infringement notice, including a $500 infringement fee, and/or face prosecution.

Vaping products are intended for smokers only. However, recent studies show a growing number of young New Zealanders are both experimenting with and regularly vaping.

"We do not want young non-smokers starting to vape. The number of young New Zealanders aged 15 to 17 who vape every day has tripled in two years, from 2% in 2018-19 to 6% in 2020-21, according to the most recent New Zealand Health Survey. Most vapes contain high levels of nicotine which is extremely addictive. There is a lot that is still unknown about the health effects of vaping and putting unknown chemicals deep into young lungs is never a good idea."

"All businesses selling vaping products need to be certain of their obligations under the Smoke-Free Environments and Regulated Products Act, and pass on this important information to staff members," says Stevenson.

The following retailers failed to check the ID of young volunteers during the CPO: Westown Dairy, Coronation Dairy, Vogeltown Vape Lounge, Sweet Temptations, BP Oakura, FourSquare Highway 45, Stratford Dairy and Highlands Vape Shop.

Te Whatu Ora National Public Health Service continues to monitor retailers of vape products who have sold to underage buyers and will carry out further CPOs targeting those retailers.

For more information on compliance with the Smoke-free Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990 or to discuss concerns about retailers selling tobacco or vape products to minors (under 18’s), please contact Te Whatu Ora National Public Health Service Taranaki on 06 753 7798.

© Scoop Media