One-third of 15- to 17-year-olds have tried e-cigarettes, and 6 percent of them use them daily.
Recently, the New Zealand government said it wants to create a "smoke-free" new generation.
However, contrary to expectations, rebellious teenagers are not so easy to manage, especially the less regulated e-cigarettes.
In order to prevent students from smoking e-cigarettes in school, many middle schools in Auckland have arranged for teachers to go to the toilet to "catch people".
To this end, smoke alarms are installed on top of the cubicles in the school toilets.
The students expressed dissatisfaction.
A student representative at Westlake Boys High School said teachers "hiding in toilet cubicles" made them very uncomfortable going to the toilet, which was now empty.
The student representative said that due to the frequent presence of teachers in the bathroom, there are no students in the school who use e-cigarettes, but this behavior violates our privacy.
"Multiple cameras are installed outside the toilet door. These cameras can monitor the frequency and duration of students using the toilet in real time. Teachers can also use this method to 'catch' students who are vaping." He said.
Westlake Boys' School principal David Ferguson, however, said teachers were not using students' bathrooms.
"Teachers occasionally use cameras to monitor students' behavior, but it's a bit inaccurate to say that they are hiding in the toilet and 'squatting to catch people'."
A few months ago, the teacher "arrested" people in the toilet did happen a few times.
"Because we had some specific information at the time, we had to take action, but it's safe to say that we didn't have these kinds of school rules and won't do so in the future," Ferguson said.
Ferguson pointed out that the use of e-cigarettes by teenagers is a social problem, and teachers need to stop and correct their behavior in time.
According to the government's most recent health survey, one-third of 15- to 17-year-olds nationwide have tried e-cigarettes, with 6 percent of them vaping daily.
YouthLaw Aotearoa general manager Neil Shaw said the law required schools to provide students with a "physically and mentally safe" place to study.
'Professional' e-cigarette retail shops rage
New Zealand's high schools are racking their brains to create a "smoke-free" generation for the next generation, but the government is not doing enough here.
The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act (Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act) of 2020 shows that general retailers such as commissaries, petrol stations and supermarkets can only sell vaping products in plain, mint and strong mint flavors, and only professional vape products. Only e-cigarette retailers can sell other flavors.
Later, on August 11, 2021, retailers can apply to become professional e-cigarette retailers.
So far, 679 professional e-cigarette retail stores have been approved to operate in New Zealand.
That works out to an average of two retail stores per day for a year.
Ayesha Verrall, Minister of Epidemic Response in New Zealand, said that the previous bill was mainly used to restrict tobacco, but now e-cigarettes are widely popular in society, and people use e-cigarettes not only to quit smoking, but the government will also strictly control e-cigarettes in the future.
Smoke-free plans have 'loopholes'
New Zealand's Tobacco Free 2025 plan does not include restrictions on e-cigarettes, which Verrall also mentioned as a "loophole" above.
The New Zealand government has previously set a target to make New Zealand essentially smoke-free (95 per cent) by 2025, but that target has left out an important part.
"E-cigarettes are not included in the Tobacco Free 2025 plan...I think that's actually the biggest flaw in the government's plan, there is no plan to help people quit vaping after they quit smoking, it's not clear if there is such a political will."
Some local councils, who can't stand it, are now taking action on their own.
Napier, North Island, Hastings Local Council has begun to take action to join the no-smoking area of e-cigarettes in the joint supervision of cigarette-free areas:
That is to say, in the future, the places where smoking is not allowed in the central business districts of the two places will also ban e-cigarettes.
In fact, one reason the New Zealand government is lagging in regulation is that research on the long-term effects of vaping is still largely incomplete.
"There are still a lot of unknowns. A few years ago, there was a disaster in the U.S. that caused some serious lung injuries, but then these companies have also changed their formulations to remove some of the most harmful chemicals." NZ Herald investigative reporter Emma Russell said.
Therefore, tobacco factories will continue to adjust and evade various supervisions.
New Zealand caricature: "Land of the Long White Cloud" is here, Mom, is that the smoke from the volcano? "No, it's an electronic cigarette."
"There is a strong link between nicotine addiction, depression, problems with ADHD, and difficulties with learning and memory," said a respiratory expert I spoke with. Another concern is damage to lung tissue. "
E-cigarette products are now available all over New Zealand.
"Especially for young people, there needs to be education in schools about the potential dangers. Also, for marketing and promotion, I also think recycling should be done," Russell said.
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