July 08, 2015
Consumers opt for vaping over patch cures
A Maori tobacco control researcher is calling for a rethink of the rules around electronic cigarettes.
Dr Marewa Glover says while tobacco control efforts have succeeded at bringing adult smoking prevalence down to 18 percent and smoking among Maori adults to 39 percent, half of young smokers say they want to use e-cigarettes or vaping for their next quit attempt.
She says in the face of a clear consumer preference for vaping, government-paid smoking cessation workers continueto peddle patches and gum and insist on smokers attending group therapy.
Because of the precautionary approach taken by the Ministry of Health, the predominant way to access the new products is via the internet, and that could mean the disparity between Maori and Pakeha smoking rates will widen.
Dr Glover says smokefree campaigning was about reducing disease and early deaths, and now people can get nicotine in a form that is no more harmful than their coffee addiction, it may be time for public health to stand aside.
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