7 Jun 2024

Cheap outlawed single use vapes hooking children

From Nine To Noon, 9:05 am on 7 June 2024
A teenager vaping.

Photo: 123RF

An audit of vape stores show most aren't checking ID and some recently outlawed products are being flogged off at bargain basement prices. 

The University of Otago public health study has tested compliance with the new regulations for single-use vapes, which came into force in December last year.

It has found that the crackdown measures introduced by the Government aimed at reducing youth vaping are not having the desired effect. 

Dr Jude Ball, who is one of the study's authors, says product as cheap as $2.50 is getting children hooked on vaping. Catherine Manning from Takiri Mai te Ata Regional Stop Smoking Service in the greater Wellington region talks to Kathryn about their youth vaping cessation programme.

And Lochie Cowles started vaping when he was 16, Now aged 21 he has kicked the habit. 

Lochie works with the Hā Collective - which is a group of young Māori and Pasifika from all over Aotearoa trying to help reduce the harms of youth vaping.

Correction: During this interview Dr Ball referred to disposable vapes being re-labelled. She wishes to clarify: "50mg/ml nicotine salt concentration is roughly equivalent to 28.5mg/ml nicotine concentration, so the re-labelling of products from 50mg/ml nicotine salt to 28.5mg/ml nicotine is likely to be legitimate."