New Zealand's Free E-cigarette Program Is Called Crazy And Health Organizations Say It Lacks Consultation Procedures

New Zealand's "free e-cigarette program" is called "crazy" and health organizations say it lacks consultation procedures

New Zealand's free e-cigarette distribution program has been criticized by health organizations, who believe that the practice is controversial and lacks proper consultation and supervision.
According to NZ Zherald on January 2, New Zealand's Deputy Minister of Health Casey Costello said that starting next week, e-cigarette starter kits will be provided to smoking cessation services across the country to help adults quit smoking, a move that has been criticized by health organizations.

Letitia Harding, CEO of the New Zealand Asthma and Respiratory Foundation, said that the practice of using e-cigarettes to quit cigarettes is controversial.

"These products have not been approved for smoking cessation by the World Health Organization, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the New Zealand Medical Safety Authority (Medsafe). Therefore, it is really strange to distribute these drugs as therapeutic products without going through a proper and rigorous consultation process. They are going to launch this plan next week, which seems crazy."

Harding said that the plan lacks details and just moves people from one product to another without a clear exit strategy.

"Which products will actually be funded and then how do they actually get rid of the long-term nicotine addiction that comes with vaping products? We could be looking at a vaping-free New Zealand in a decade or decades."