Auckland principals say vaping is reaching epidemic levels among students

Auckland secondary school principals are backing the Government’s plan to prohibit vaping flavours where there are safety concerns and say vaping is reaching epidemic levels among their students.

They warn that without firm action New Zealand will have a new generation of people addicted to nicotine.

Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa said she would introduce a bill on vape regulation to Parliament in a few weeks that will have the ability to prohibit flavours where there are safety concerns.

Auckland Secondary Principals’ Association president Richard Dykes said teenage vaping had become a serious problem in some of the city’s schools.

“In some communities it is at epidemic proportions. This thing is just exploding in some schools. It seems to be more of an issue in higher-income-community schools.

“At some schools we are starting to see over 30 per cent of students have tried it. The percentages of people who are using it regularly are pushing up towards five, six-plus percent and the interesting thing about that statistic, that might seem low, but that’s in schools where smoking has hit basically zero percent.”

Mr Dykes said many students mistakenly believed vapes contained only water and flavouring and his school had teenagers who vaped and were addicted to nicotine.
READ MORE: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/auckland-principals-say-vaping-reaching-epidemic-levels-among-students
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/398672/vaping-a-serious-problem-in-some-auckland-schools-principals