Growing Concerns Over Youth E-cigarette Use in New Zealand

Nineteen-year-old Gemma Kirk started vaping four years ago because "all the other kids were doing it".

Several months later, she realized that she had become addicted. "I didn't know what nicotine addiction was.

Electronic cigarettes are becoming increasingly popular among New Zealanders, as per the latest New Zealand Health Survey. 8.3% of New Zealanders are reported to use electronic cigarettes on a daily basis, as compared to the 6.2% recorded last year, while many are using them to quit smoking.

According to Ben Youdan from the anti-smoking organization ASH NZ, a remarkable news has been reported that the daily smoking rate has decreased to 8%, making our country one of the lowest smoking rate countries in the world.

However, a concerning issue is the increasing number of young people who are using electronic cigarettes. Almost one-fifth of individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 are using e-cigarettes on a daily basis.

We have even heard parents of 8th and 9th graders say that their children are vaping," said Letitia Harding of the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation.

Children are vaping during showers and waking up in the middle of the night, relying on these electronic cigarettes.

The New Zealand parliament is currently passing legislation to reduce the number of retail stores that can sell tobacco, significantly lowering the nicotine content in cigarettes to a non-addictive level, and banning anyone born after 2009 from purchasing tobacco products.

Leticia Hading is urging for regulations to be put in place for electronic cigarettes. "We don't need to add 50 milligrams of nicotine in e-cigarettes, that's where the problem lies. I think many children are still unaware that these high doses can make them dependent.

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