The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation New Zealand (ARFNZ) has carried out a scare campaign against electronic cigarettes. The Asia Pacific advocates for reducing tobacco harm (CAPHRA) described it as a "very tiresome" move.
Nancy Loucas, the coordinator of the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA), expressed disappointment with the recent actions of the New Zealand Asthma and Respiratory Foundation against the Ministry of Health. Loucas lamented that this behavior was not surprising.
After she made her comments, ARFNZ claimed that the Ministry of Health had not achieved an appropriate balance with New Zealand's electronic cigarette regulations.
The ARFNZ's ongoing scare tactics against e-cigarettes are often unfounded. The reality is that New Zealand has successfully implemented a strategy to reduce the harm of tobacco (THR) and is on track to becoming smoke-free by 2025. According to Ms. Loucas, the attacks from ARFNZ should be directed towards combustible cigarettes.
CAPHRA was shocked to learn from the latest official statistics that ARFNZ is continuing on its path of new prohibitionism. Earlier this month, it was revealed that New Zealand's smoking rate has dropped to its lowest point in history, with only 8% of adults smoking daily, down from 9.4% a year ago.
The smoke-free environment and regulated products (tobacco) amendment is currently being passed through parliament. It aims to restrict the appeal and accessibility of cigarettes.
The Smoke-free Amendment Bill is what ARFNZ should be focusing on entirely at present. However, they seem determined to continually undermine and criticize the Ministry of Health's position on e-cigarettes. The issue is not about the need for safer nicotine alternatives to cigarettes, which could save the lives of thousands of New Zealand smokers every year," Ms. Loucas stated.
CAPHRA has stated that many other countries are studying and replicating New Zealand's smoke-free policies. Recently, a Malaysian parliamentary delegation visited New Zealand to learn how they halved smoking rates in the past decade. New Zealand's regulatory framework is also crucial to recent regulations in the Philippines, and even Thailand is considering developing their own regulations based on New Zealand's.
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