Labour Vaping Policy Declares War On The Corner Dairy

Dairy owners are hitting back at the Labour Government blaming dairies for youth vaping, when youth crime stats but massive dairy compliance as sellers, points elsewhere. The Group can also exclusively reveal no one has ever been hospitalised in NZ from vaping from its 2023 Vaping Report.

“We’re in a fact-free environment with a government releasing policy by panic. Forget schoolkids ramraiding, robbing and burgling us,” says Sunny Kaushal, Chair of the Dairy and Business Owner’s Group.

“The fact is this. Dairies and others have been 94% compliant selling cigarettes since 2019 and 97% compliant with vapes since 2022. We’d like 100% but no one’s perfect. So Mr Hipkins, is youth vape access retail crime, which doubled from 2021 into 2022 and exploded in 2023, mostly under you?

“Labour said we can’t sell smokes and we said in consultation, fair do, as its harmful. We sold vapes as smokers flocked to them after the government said they’re safer. The UK government reconfirming 95% less harmful than the smokes last year. Labour now says we can’t sell them either.

“But what did Labour regulate yesterday? Quality standards for medical marijuana. You can’t make this up. Under Labour that’s 600 selling smokes, 600 selling vapes and what, 600 selling weed?

“Even ‘government’ vaping regulations that many thought had started on 1 August, are yet to be issued and won’t start until late October.

“Labour’s plan is to kneecap vaping. The single most successful policy that’s smashed smoking. 154,000 Kiwis have quit smoking due to vaping in just two years including 45,000 Māori. So, Labour’s answer is to make it harder to quit smoking despite 90% of vapers over 25 being ex-smokers.

“This is a war on dairies by Labour. They hate us. We do everything by the book but get shut down and scapegoated for this government’s ineptitude.

“Instead of listening to those who sell for what could work, consultation being a joke, the mess we have is due to theory and their answer? More theory.

“As in Australia, the gangs here will likely start importing vapes from China, adding to what they already “retail”. Despite what Aussie Customs may intercept, the Aussie prescription model is a joke when 93% of those under 30 in Australia find it easier and cheaper to buy vapes illegally.

That is why today, we release the 2023 Vaping Report based on months of research:

Since July 2019, no hospital events in New Zealand have reported vaping as a primary diagnosis. Since July 2022 (to 4 May 2023) there has been no use of a vaping code in secondary diagnosis in in 2022 it was used four times against 346,000 daily vapers.

Since 2016, ACC claim costs show vaping is 3,207 times less costly than cycling ($172,661 versus $553,813,748) comparing 346,000 daily vapers in 2022 (103,000 in 2017/18), to around 730,000 cyclists (48,000 cycled to work in 2018).

Dairies, petrol stations and supermarkets are highly compliant sellers with a median compliance of 94% for cigarettes and RYO since 1 January 2019 and 97% for vaping sales since 1 January 2022.

Ministry tobacco returns show that comparing 2012 to 2022 (11 years), imports of cigarette and RYO tobacco have fallen by over 1,007 tonnes and the fall has accelerated since 2018.

The record fall in harmful daily smoking mirrors the rise in far less harmful daily vaping; between 2020/21 and 2021/22 (two years), 154,000 fewer people daily smoke including 45,000 Māori.

While there is a focus on youth vaping, we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that the Ministry of Health says 90% of vapers over 25 are ex-smokers.

Data provided by Auckland Grammar School, show that vaping related stand downs in 2022/23 (non-Covid affected) were less than in 2020/21.

Vaping is not only 95% less harmful than smoking, it could be more effective than prescribed Nicotine Replacement Therapies too (UK Government and Cochrane Reviews 2022).

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