“Smoke and mirrors” (May 27) paints an image of ASH being at odds with doctors and educators “arguing for war” on vaping. This misrepresents ASH and the public health community.
Far from being an outlier, ASH is aligned with groups including the NZ College of Midwives, Heart Foundation, Parents Centre, Pharmacy Guild, Quitline and Hāpai te Hauora, all of whom agree that vaping can help people stop smoking, but is not for children. It is also substantially less harmful than smoking, although not risk free.
ASH, like others, is concerned about youth vaping and encourages three government actions to prevent and manage youth vaping: strengthening and enforcing current regulations on marketing and access, including raising the age of sales of vapes (and cigarettes) to 21 years; banning disposable vapes, and providing support to schools with evidence-based approaches to help prevent and manage vaping.
The annual ASH Year 10 surveys show no evidence of a youth “vaping epidemic” or a “generation lost to addiction”. This alarming language stems from 1980s anti-drug campaigns that exploited moral outrage but lacked scientific credibility. We must avoid failed and extreme “war on drugs” responses and instead take evidence-based approaches that reflect the harm
