Read articles from New Zealand
January 18, 2024 by theconversation.com
Reducing nicotine in tobacco would help people quit – without prohibiting cigarettes
Supporters of the new government’s plan to repeal Aotearoa New Zealand’s smokefree legislation have claimed victory against “prohibition”. Introduced under Jacinda Ardern’s government, the smokefree law came into effect in January 2023 and included a commitment to introduce mandated “denicotinisation” (cutting the nicotine to levels that are no longer addictive) of smoked tobacco products. Studies estimated this measure would have greatly reduced smoking and helped prevent avoidable death and suffering. However, opponents, notably the tobacco industry and its allies, criticised the measure as “prohibition”.
January 11, 2024 by colinmendelsohn.com.au
New Zealand well on track to be smokefree next year
Almost a quarter of a million fewer Kiwis are now smoking daily, and it puts us in a tiny club of countries that have smoking rates under 7 per cent. What we have in common with these successful countries is people switching from smoked tobacco to less harmful alternatives. To reach the smoking goal of 5 per cent or less (that is, 95 per cent or more of all adults being “smokefree”), around 100,000 smokers need to quit over the next two years. Our decline in smoking in the last four years is extraordinary - equivalent to what took two decades to achieve. The unprecedented progress shown in the New Zealand Health Survey should have been a cause to celebrate. [...]
January 09, 2024 by youtube.com
Prof. Marewa Glover Comments On New Zealand Scrapping The World-First Smoking 'Generation Ban'
We sit down with Prof. Marewa Glover to discuss the recent THR news from New Zealand.
December 13, 2023 by nzherald.co.nz
Snuff and chewing tobacco could be legalised to help smokers quit - but researchers are sceptical about the benefits
Snuff and smokeless tobacco are being considered as tools to help smokers quit under the new Government’s smokefree plans. And while those products have contributed to reduced smoking rates overseas, New Zealand experts on tobacco control are sceptical about whether they would be successful here. The National-led Government has promised to scrap the previous government’s anti-smoking laws, prompting widespread condemnation from the healthcare sector and generating global headlines.
December 06, 2023 by filtermag.org
New Zealand Splits Opinion by Scrapping Smoking Ban
New Zealand’s new coalition government plans to abandon the country’s world-first policy of an incremental smoking ban, in order to fund tax cuts. Just as the original policy divided expert opinion, so has news of its repeal. [...] Proponents said that this and other measures in the package, like reducing the number of tobacco retailers by 90 percent and cutting the legal amount of nicotine in cigarettes, would help the country reach its goal of being “smokefree” (prevalence below 5 percent) by 2025. No similar restrictions were imposed on vape sales.
November 27, 2023 by bbc.com
New Zealand smoking ban: Health experts criticise new government's shock reversal
New Zealand's new government says it plans to scrap the nation's world-leading smoking ban to fund tax cuts. The legislation, introduced under the previous Jacinda Ardern-led government, would have banned cigarette sales next year to anyone born after 2008. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths in New Zealand, and the policy had aimed to stop young generations from picking up the habit. Health experts have strongly criticised the sudden reversal. "We are appalled and disgusted... this is an incredibly retrograde step on world-leading, absolutely excellent health measures," said Prof Richard Edwards, a tobacco control researcher and public health expert at the University of Otago.
November 24, 2023 by bloomberg.com
New Zealand’s Next Government to Scrap Law Curbing Tobacco Sales
New Zealand’s vaunted laws aimed at making the country smoke-free will be repealed by its new center-right government. Legislation banning tobacco sales to people born after 2008 will be dumped by the new administration, according to coalition agreements released Friday in Wellington. The new government, which comprises the National, ACT and New Zealand First parties, will also stop a plan to reduce in the number of retail outlets
October 19, 2023 by radio-canada.ca
The U.K. and New Zealand want to ban the next generation from smoking at any age. Should Canada follow?
Officials elsewhere want to create the first 'smoke-free generation' As some countries move toward banning the next generation from smoking, experts here say Canada should weigh whether a similar ban could work to stop youth from picking up the habit. [...] Experts who study teen smoking and vaping habits say although these smoking bans don't necessarily target vaping, a public discussion about a generational smoking ban and what that could look like in Canada is warranted. There are lots of contextual factors that come to play that we really need to consider when we are thinking about implementing something like this in Canada, said Laura Struik, [...]
October 19, 2023 by stuff.co.nz
Nicotine and cannabis vaping on the rise, according to Massey survey
The use of nicotine e-liquid vaping is increasing, a Massey University study has shown. The university released its third round of findings from its New Zealand Drugs Trends Survey which showed that while the use of no-nicotine e-liquid had decreased, nicotine e-liquid vaping was on the rise and levels of cannabis vaping were steady. [...] Dr Marta Rychert said, nicotine products were often used daily, while cannabis and no-nicotine vapes were used less frequently.
September 12, 2023 by biomedcentral.com
Effectiveness of nicotine salt vapes, cytisine, and a combination of these products, for smoking cessation in New Zealand: protocol for a three-arm, pragmatic, community-based randomised controlled trial
Combining short-acting nicotine replacement therapy with varenicline increases smoking cessation rates compared with varenicline alone, but not all people tolerate these medications or find them helpful. We aim to investigate the therapeutic potential of an analogous combination, by evaluating the effectiveness, safety, and acceptability of combining nicotine salt e-cigarettes with cytisine, compared to nicotine salt e-cigarettes or cytisine only, on smoking abstinence at six months.