A black market for vapes has sprung up in schools, while toddlers are getting their hands on their older siblings’ vapes.
These are just some of the shocking stories the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ’s youth vape educators hear from students around the country at their school workshops.
Foundation chief executive Letitia Harding says it is so upsetting to hear feedback from the workshops like this.
"If horrific stories like this aren’t enough to get the government to wake up, I don’t know what is."
Sharon Pihema, one of two Foundation staff members dedicated to educating youth in schools on the harms of vaping, says she hears some unimaginable stories from students and teachers.
"However, I’m almost at the point where I’m not surprised by what I hear. The youth vaping culture is out of control."
Sharon has just finished a workshop with a group of Year 7 and 8 students who shared some shocking statistics.
"Of the students I visited in one school, 73 per cent had been offered a vape, 77 per cent of them had tried vaping, 88 per cent of them believed we had a youth vaping epidemic and 100 per cent had never touched a cigarette."
Letitia says the government needs to wake up and see youth vaping addiction as a separate issue to Smokefree.
"If our new Government are really as committed as they say they are to stamping out the youth vaping epidemic, then they should be meeting with the Foundation not vaping manufacturers and businesses that sell vapes."
The Foundation and its esteemed medical and scientific advisory board were one of the very first organisations to raise concerns around youth vaping to the Ministry of Health in 2017.
With the government slow to react - or even acknowledge the risk of a youth vaping epidemic - the Foundation moved quickly to develop a youth vaping educational website www.dontgetsuckedin.co.nz, launch the first dedicated youth vaping national survey, introduce vaping educational workshops in schools, and write the first NZ reference guide to support adolescents to quit vaping.
The Foundation did this with with no government support.
5 comments
Hmmm
Posted on 11-03-2024 17:10 | By Let's get real
I really don't know what was expected to happen.
Is the whole country incapable of considering "WHAT IF....?"
Guess what.... When/if they clamp down on the trade inside the school gates, the trade will move outside the school gates on the public footpaths and onto the school buses.
vapes
Posted on 12-03-2024 08:38 | By peter pan
Only x tobacco user should be aloud vapes to help them kick the habit,and ban flavored vapes.I don't think anything will happen as the Government is on a winner collecting gst on the vapes.and don't seem to care.
no surprise...
Posted on 12-03-2024 11:43 | By OG-2024
1. Govt needs money to cover it's promises - although how many govts actually keep their promises in reality.
2. the ONLY way we now have a chance to be smokefree as a majority wanted is to BAN the import, sale and possession of tobacco products and vapes. Place large penalties to deter and actually ACT on it along side other illegal drugs. Short term pain for long term gain. Until there are no ciggies there will continue to be robberies targeting them even if govt say otherwise.
3. Vapes became popular because of the child friendly flavours and easy access, what else did we honestly think was going to happen?
@OG-2024 & Peter Pan
Posted on 12-03-2024 15:48 | By morepork
It serves no purpose for me to say that I told you so, but I did... (on a number of occasions before and after the introduction of vaping.) These disgusting products should never have been allowed in. The "scientific" evidence that said they could help eradicate tobacco addiction was shown to be fabricated and false by several independent, reputable scientific papers. Vaping simply swaps one sad addiction for another that has even worse connotations and side effects. But there was money to be made (all of which goes to overseas interests) so the Government was "persuaded" to allow it. There is no Excise Tax on vaping because the idea is to keep it cheaper than smoking. You are both right that vaping should be banned immediately (maybe 6 months for existing businesses to find a better way to make a living.) Smoking should be treated as addiction.
The other side
Posted on 14-03-2024 07:17 | By Pundit
This report talks about how many kids were offered and tried vapes but not how many are vaping. That would be the important number surely..? How does a school let an illegal black market take hold? That is crazy..!! Why is that not the headline..?
The fact 100% don't smoke Tabaco now is also a change for the better.
Some facts:
Vaping came arrived in 2006 no reported deaths in NZ
5000 a year die from smoking
800 a year die from alcohol
3200 died from diabetes and obesity
Vaping should be way down your list of concerns.
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