Govt needs to read UK vaping study

“Compelling research out of the UK reaffirms vaping’s life-saving role. Here’s hoping our Government’s pending legislation reflects vaping’s increasingly documented health benefits for smokers,” say Ben Pryor, co-owner of the largest Kiwi-owned vape company, Alt New Zealand.

His comments follow University of Dundee researchers confirming that switching from cigarettes to vaping quickly improves blood vessel function, with the large clinical trial showing a clear and early benefit for smokers.

In fact, the study found long-term smokers who switched to vaping were halfway towards achieving the vascular health of a non-smoker within just a month, suggesting that vaping has the potential to reduce heart attack and stroke risk.

“Global science continues to prove vaping is considerably safer than cigarettes and brings many quick wins for smokers. As a country we need to pull out all the stops to make sure Kiwi smokers have every opportunity to successfully quit. Our best chance is to simply retain vaping’s appeal and accessibility for adults hooked on tobacco,” says Mr Pryor.

The vaping entrepreneur has long supported the introduction of high manufacturing and product quality standards. However, he says the availability of vape flavours, responsible R18 marketing, retail displays, and ‘comparable’ nicotine levels must be retained if the Government wants deadly smoking rates and tobacco sales in New Zealand to continue to fall.

Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa is set to introduce the Smoke-free Environments (Vaping) Amendment Bill into Parliament soon. Concerns are growing that the Government could move to treat vaping more like smoking, despite the significant role it has played as New Zealand’s most effective smoking cessation tool.

He says the Government needs to reflect on what’s happening in the top three countries that New Zealand likes to benchmark itself against.

“In Australia, which maintains heavy vaping restrictions, smoking rates have not fallen in recent years, unlike us. In the US where various vaping bans are now in place, studies show smoking rates are back on the rise. While in the UK, many smokers are successfully switching to vaping, thanks to the UK’s progressive regulatory regime and positive public health attitude.”

Ben Pryor says despite recent coverage, mostly out of the US as a result of illicitly produced and sourced products, our Government must keep an eye on the prize and reaffirm the country’s goal: A Smoke-Free New Zealand.

www.getalt.co.nz

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