With the current lack of understanding and fake news circulating around the Vaping Bill and Hon Nicky Wagner's SOP to regulate tobacco-free Nicotine Pouches, NZ Smokefree Tomorrow (NZSFT), who are the subject matter experts, think it is fair to ‘clear the air’ to ensure the Vaping Bill goes through this term.

NZSFT are the leading distributors of tobacco-free Nicotine Pouches in New Zealand who distribute to over 2,000 retail stores and have successfully helped around 10,000 smokers quit smoking. CEO, Miles Illemann says, “this product is not a novel product, in fact, it is the only product to really make an impact on our smoking rates to achieve the joint Smokefree 2025 goal”.

The industry-leading company has written an open letter to the Prime Minister as it has been nearly two months since the ban on "oral nicotine products" was snuck into the proposed legislation by the Health Select Committee after public consultation ended. Since then NZSFT has tried to enlighten Associate Health Minister Hon Jenny Salesa and all parties with the facts about the product. Now that inaccurate statements are being made in the media, this is a last-ditch effort in a hope to rationalise and contextualise the situation with the facts. Below highlights a few points in the open letter.

Time to clear the air:

- Tobacco Snus and chewing tobacco are already banned.
- Tobacco Snus and chewing tobacco will remain banned if Hon Nicky Wagner's SOP is successful.
- Saying that Hon Nicky Wagner’s SOP will allow tobacco snus/chewing tobacco to be legalised is fake news.

- The SOP will retain the Health Select Committee's ban all oral nicotine products with the exception of only allowing tobacco-free nicotine pouches that are currently widely used and have helped many smokers quit.
- Labour’s stance is contrary to the Government's harm reduction approach
- There are other tobacco-free oral nicotine products that will be banned as a result of this SOP like nicotine drops (lollies) and toothpicks. These are novel products.

- All MPs that believe in harm reduction want to support the SOP

- 13.6 people die each day in New Zealand from smoking - to put into context with Covid-19.

- Ministry of Health conducted a study in 2012 shows that Nicotine Pouches effectively helped 16% in the study quit smoking. Context - more effective than vaping and not referenced since that date, for example in the Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS.)

- If the bill does not go through this term, the whole industry will remain unregulated.

- If this bill does go through with SOP support, the lollies and snus will remain banned and Nicotine Pouches will become regulated along with vaping.

NZSFT's CEO Miles Illemann says, "my Co-Founder and I are Ex-SAS members who have a passion to serve this country. After we both obtained back injuries, we wanted to do something even bigger than before and that is what we are doing now. It was hard enough to get into the SAS to serve this country and now it is even harder fighting our own Government to enable us to continue saving lives directly. We will do whatever it takes to ensure mission success when lives are at stake because we have a DUTY OF CARE"!

“I urge the Prime Minister to agree on all three SOP’s from Nicky Wagner and to get this bill through Parliament as soon as possible. This will show compassion for the thousands of smokers seeking a less harmful alternative”, Mr Illemann states.

Please find the attached open letter to the Prime Minister along with references to support these facts and claims.

Attachment of open letter

https://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/2008/Open_letter_to_PM__v1_2.pdf

www.nzsft.co.nz

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