NZ Health Ministry tells Parliamentary Cmte that e-cigarette usage "is far safer than smoking"

[Bill Godshall]

The New Zealand Ministry of Health has informed a Parliamentary Committee that e-cigarette usage "is far safer than smoking"
E-cigarette - personal nicotine vapouriser
http://www.endsmoking.org.nz/MoH on ecigs etc.pdf

“As the e-cigarette delivers only nicotine in a mist of propylene glycol, without the other 4,000 or so other chemicals in tobacco smoke, it is far safer than smoking.”
“The current safety data would therefore suggest that the e-cigarette poses few risks to people, and is safer than continuing to smoke. However, this should be confirmed with data from long-term outcome studies.

 

[Vocalek]

I could not get either of the links to work. Server problem perhaps?

 

[Jacinda222]

The links are working for me. It's interesting that although they admit that e-cigs are far safer than smoking, they've still got this going on:

The Ministry, however, continues to use Medicines legislation to ban their sale to smokers, thus obviating the need to regulate ecigs so smokers could use them. The Ministry could, but is not classifying them for sale under tobacco products legislation.

What will it take for them to lift the ban?

 

[James]

They are working for me too.

 

[Linda Marie]

How much do they tax cigs in NZ? Anywhere around they amount they do here? I think that the US Gov is losing so much "sin" tax money as people switch to e-cigs that the Gov will not be able to ignore the tax loose long.
Batten the hatches.

 

[Nicko]

Cigarettes in New Zealand are extremely expensive. The tax brings the price of a pack to more than $12 a pack. But spare a thought for Aussie smokers who now pay more than $20 a pack. The tax there is partly used to heavily subsidise NRT products for those who can no longer afford to smoke. NRT is also subsidised in NZ. The pharma companies must be laughing all the way to the bank. But maybe not for much longer. E-cig sales are booming!