New Study Exposes Failure Of Australia’s Vaping Regulations

Friday, 14 February 2025, 8:20 am
Press Release: CAPHRA

The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) today highlighted the findings of a landmark study published in Addiction, which demonstrates the superiority of New Zealand’s pragmatic vaping regulations compared to Australia's restrictive, medicalised approach. The study, conducted by researchers from Australia and New Zealand, compared trends in daily smoking and vaping in both countries between 2016 and 2023.

The research, titled "Do the differing vaping and smoking trends in Australia and New Zealand reflect different regulatory policies?" reveals a stark contrast in smoking reduction rates between the two nations.

New Zealand saw its adult daily smoking rate decline twice as fast as Australia, with a 10% annual decrease (from 14.5% to 6.8%) compared to Australia's 5% (from 12.2% to 8.3%). This decline in smoking directly mirrored the vaping adoption rates in both countries.

“This study provides compelling evidence that New Zealand’s harm reduction approach to vaping is far more effective at reducing smoking rates than Australia’s overly restrictive policies,” said Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator of CAPHRA.

“It’s a clear signal that governments must embrace pragmatic regulations that allow adult smokers access to safer alternatives like vaping.”

The study further highlighted that:

• Smoking rates fell three times faster in New Zealand’s lowest socioeconomic communities compared to Australia (12% per year vs 4% per year).
• Smoking in the Māori population declined nearly three times as fast as among Australia’s Indigenous population (16% vs 6% per year from 2019-2023).
• The age group with the greatest decline in smoking in both countries was the younger adult age group, which also had the highest rates of vaping.
• While youth vaping rose more sharply in NZ, it has levelled out since regulation started in 2021 and is now starting to fall (8.7% in 2024).
• Australia has a rampant and often violent black market for vaping products, while New Zealand shows no significant evidence of illicit trade.

CAPHRA emphasises that the association in the Addiction study shows increased access to safer nicotine products has reduced smoking rates, particularly when compared to the stricter regulations that have failed to provide the same impact.

"This Addiction study confirms that embracing safer nicotine products is the right approach to saving lives. We urge countries across the Asia Pacific region to take note of New Zealand's success and adopt similar evidence-based policies,” Loucas concluded. “The health of millions depends on it."

Notes:

The study “Do the differing vaping and smoking trends in Australia and New Zealand reflect different regulatory policies?” is published in Addiction. - Mendelsohn CP, Beaglehole R, Borland R, Hall W, Wodak A, Youdan B, Chan CKC. Addiction. 2025. Available here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39924453/

About CAPHRA

CAPHRA Position Statement on Industry Independence:

• The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Advocates (CAPHRA) is a regional alliance of consumer tobacco harm reduction advocacy organisations. CAPHRA is not related to, or funded by any commercial interests. It is composed of volunteer consumer advocates from the Asia Pacific Region. We hope putting forward this information would clarify any doubt as to our interests and intentions.
• CAPHRA stays committed to its mission to educate, advocate and represent the right of adult alternative nicotine consumers to access and use of products that reduce harm from tobacco use. We advocate for the rights of consumers in the Asia-Pacific region to access and use evidence-based, regulated, and properly marketed harm reduction products as a means of reducing the devastating impact of smoking-related diseases.

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