NEW ZEALAND
The ministry of health has launched Vaping Facts, a new project website endorsing and educating about vaping products as valuable harm reduction tools for current smokers.
The website has three sections: addressing what exactly vaping is; describing the effects of vaping versus smoking combustible tobacco; and advising on the utilization of vaping products to stop smoking.
Health minister Jenny Salesa said the website is a “centralized, credible source of information,” that will hopefully reach adults and their whānau, or Māori extended family. The website places a strong emphasis on the importance of connecting Māori women, who have a disproportionately high smoking rate of 32.5%, compared with the country’s overall rate of 13.8%, with facts and advice on vaping.