FEATURE

As smoking rates plunge to a record low in New Zealand , vaping rates are at an all-time high

Words : Patrick Griffin

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New Zealand has just recorded the lowest smoking rates in the country ’ s history .

Ten years ago , when there was no vaping , 16.4 percent of the population were daily smokers . Four years later , in 2016 , when e-cigarettes were beginning to catch on , the smoking rate had dropped by two percentage points . In what is being hailed as an enormous win for vaping , in every year that followed , as vaping became more popular , the numbers of smokers continued to decline . The European Tobacco Harm Reduction

Advocates said : “ The latest data on smoking and vaping prevalence in New Zealand has revealed that smoking rates have fallen from 11.9 percent in 2020 to 9.4 percent in 2021 . “ This historic fall in smoking correlates with an increase in vaping .” Advocates say it is no concidence that the NZ government ’ s decision to regulate vaping as a smoking cessation product has encouraged record numbers of smokers to quit . Tobacco harm reduction advocate David P Forsyth said : “ This is more evidence that vaping is a direct substitute for smoking .” New Zealand ’ s Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act has measures to protect children , while allowing adult smokers to access the best quitting tool ever invented . The data was revealed in the country ’ s latest Public Health Survey and , if the trend continues , will give a huge boost for New Zealand ’ s 2025 smokefree ambitions . The survey also revealed that quit smoking attempts had increased to 19 percent – a jump from 13.4 percent in the previous survey . There was a dramatic increase in quit rates among all ethnic groups , particularly among Māori and Pacific populations .

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