CAPHRA Campaign Against Bill
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates has launched a campaign against New Zealand's Smokefree Environments And Regulated Products Amendment Bill
-
by Dave Cross
Share on:
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates has launched a campaign against New Zealand's Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill. The consumer organisation is raising the alarm following the Bill’s announcement by the New Zealand government.
Nancy Loucas, Executive Coordinator and spokesperson for CAPHRA, said: “This legislation threatens to remove nearly all closed system vaping products that adults rely on to quit smoking, leaving only the most technical options on the shelves. The proposed bill poses significant risks by potentially banning closed pod systems, which are widely recognised as the simplest and most effective for smoking cessation.
“Major reviews of vaping for quitting smoking consistently highlight clinical trials that predominantly use pod systems. Furthermore, all vapes approved by the U.S. FDA are closed pod systems, with no open tank systems receiving approval. This move contradicts the best available evidence supporting vaping as a harm reduction tool.”
In response, the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates is launching a new initiative to collect video testimonials from vapers across New Zealand. These testimonials will highlight personal stories of how vaping has helped individuals quit smoking. The initiative aims to amplify the voices of those directly affected by the proposed legislation and can be accessed at righttovape.org/video-testimonials.
“There is growing concern that the Ministry of Health's strategy may be politically motivated, posing a significant risk to public health and potentially making the minister appear out of touch with the needs of New Zealanders,” added Loucas.
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates urges the government to reconsider the bill and align its policies with evidence-based practices that support smoking cessation and harm reduction.
For more information on CAPHRA's efforts and to participate in the video testimonial campaign, visit https://righttovape.org/video-testimonials/
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Advocates is a regional alliance of consumer tobacco harm reduction advocacy organisations. Its mission is to educate, advocate and represent the right of adult alternative nicotine consumers to access and use of products that reduce harm from tobacco use.
The consumer organisation says it remains committed to advocating for the rights of consumers in the Asia-Pacific region to access and use evidence-based, regulated, and properly marketed harm reduction products as a means of reducing the devastating impact of smoking-related diseases: “We encourage further research, open dialogue, and collaboration with governments, health organisations, and stakeholders to ensure the best possible outcomes for public health.”
References
- Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates - https://caphraorg.net/
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
