As the New Zealand government rolls out its plan for standardized tobacco packaging, it is also looking at legalising electronic cigarettes delivering nicotine, according to a Newshub story.
Senior ministers are said to want to make electronic cigarettes legal in New Zealand. Currently, if the devices contain nicotine or claim to help people give up smoking, they are illegal.
But many people have credited electronic cigarettes with helping them to quit smoking and these devices have received the backing of ACT leader David Seymour and Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox.
“There’s no downside for legalising e-cigarettes,” said Seymour.
“The reality is it’s the tar that kills you from smoking, and if I had a choice from being addicted to tar or to vapor, I’d choose vapor every time.”
However, the original advocate of standardized packaging, Dame Tariana Turia, said electronic cigarettes and vaping were not the solution.
“I’ve never believed at any time that we should be legalising anything that continues to facilitate cigarette smoking, and that’s what [vaping] e-cigarettes does,” she said.
The government, which is due to announce on May 31 draft regulations for standardized packaging of cigarettes, has been threatened by tobacco companies with legal action over the issue.
But Turia says New Zealand must stand up to “bullies” and isn’t worried about legal action.
“To be honest with you they didn’t win against the Australian government, so I’m not worried about them suing” she said. “They can threaten all they like but in the end that’s all it is; it’s just threats.”