New Zealand Government to Provide Free E-cigarette Starter Packs

Dec.31.2024
New Zealand Government to Provide Free E-cigarette Starter Packs
New Zealand government to provide free e-cigarette starter kits to help adults quit smoking, aiming for smoke-free goal by 2025.

According to ODT report on December 31, the New Zealand government plans to start providing e-cigarette starter kits to nationwide smoking cessation services from next week to help adults quit smoking.


New Zealand's Deputy Minister of Health, Casey Costello, announced that recipients will receive an e-cigarette device and a monthly supply of e-cigarette pods every month for three months, along with ongoing smoking cessation support services. She mentioned that these kits will be provided free of charge to adult smokers.


Costello said that for New Zealand to reduce smoking rates to below 5% by the end of next year and achieve the smoke-free target by 2025, the country needs to revitalize its efforts to quit smoking and target the right populations.


E-cigarettes have played a key role in reducing smoking rates, and the government supports adults switching to e-cigarettes as they are much less harmful compared to smoking.


Smokers who utilize smoking cessation services are four times more likely to successfully quit smoking than those without support.


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