Nancy Lucas, co-founder of the New Zealand vaping advocacy group AVCA, stated that "New Zealand's tobacco harm reduction (THR) strategy is working well in partnership with the country and is increasingly on track to achieve the goal of being smokefree by 2025.
According to statistics released by the government, smoking rates in New Zealand have decreased to historically low levels, dropping from 9.4% one year ago to 8% of adult smokers per day.
The smoking rate in New Zealand is now half of what it was 10 years ago. In just the past year, the number of smokers has decreased by 56,000 people. Considering the additional stress and increased cost of living due to the pandemic, this is surprising," said Ms. Lucas.
It is also worth noting that the overall daily smoking rate is 19.9%, which is lower than the 22.3% reported in 2020. At the same time, 8.3% of New Zealand adults currently smoke every day.
AVCA has stated that the government has done a commendable job in making quitting smoking easier and introducing personalized quit smoking services. A key component of this effort is the development of a reliable health department website.
Ms. Lucas stated that "while other countries saw an increase in smoking rates during the COVID-19 smoke-free and restriction period, New Zealand has gone against the trend. This is due to our Ministry of Health and healthcare providers adopting a THR strategy, converting smokers to e-cigarette use as a safe and highly effective smoking cessation tool.
The AVCA believes that New Zealand can achieve a smoke-free Aotearoa by 2025, with 5% or less of New Zealanders being regular smokers.
Another effort towards achieving national objectives will be the "Revised Law on Smoke-Free Environments and Controlled Products (Smoke-Free Tobacco)", as reported by the parliamentary health committee before December 1st.
Dr. Ayesha Verrall, Deputy Minister of Health, aims to pass smoke-free legislation by the end of the year. This legislation will reduce the number of retail stores able to sell tobacco, decrease the allure of cigarettes, and ensure that future generations will never sell tobacco.
Dr. Verrall is a strong advocate of using THR methods to reduce the deadly effects of smoking. She recently stated, "We must continue to support smokers in successfully transitioning to less harmful products.
Nancy Lucas stated that "New Zealand is showcasing to the world how to achieve smoke-free status. These latest statistics further demonstrate that countries adopting THR methods of public health intervention are ultimately saving many lives.
2FIRSTS will continue to track and report on this issue. Further updates will be available on the "2FIRSTS APP". Scan the QR code below to download the app.
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