Youth Vaping on the rise
Everybody has that one friend who lives and breathes in a constant cloud of fruity vapour. Perhaps you are that friend, and in that case – kick the habit ya filthy animal! Although we have statistics showing the benefits of vaping among New Zealand smokers, the question remains, is vaping really benefitting our nation as a whole?
A recent Ministry of Health survey shows that the percentage of smokers in New Zealand has dropped from 11.9 per cent in the 2019/2020 survey, to 9.4 per cent in 2021. However, this decline in smoking has resulted in an increase in vaping, with user statistics rocketing from 3.1 per cent in 2019 to 9.6 per cent in 2021.
In October 2017, the Ministry of Health put out a position statement saying it “considers vaping products to have the potential make a contribution to the Smokefree 2025 goal”, which has since proven to be accurate. What the Ministry did not predict though, was the drastic rise in youth vaping.
Although it has been around for a fraction of the time that cigarettes have, vaping has taken to the streets like a storm. Where the Smokefree New Zealand campaign might preach its benefits, the general consensus is that vaping is, in fact, bad.
A public Instagram poll targeted at students and young adults determined 58 per cent of vapers were not previous cigarette smokers. Furthermore, 62 per cent agreed that they had picked up a vape “because it was a trend/popular”. This shows that vaping’s sudden increase in popularity is not all to do with New Zealander’s trying to become ‘smoke free’, but because we all just want to look cool... (although I mean, who doesn’t). However, instead of being a tool to help wean smokers off cigarettes, now vaping is likely to be producing more nicotine addicts than if the little electric suckers were never invented at all. Talk about irony…
“I started vaping back in my first year of university, and I’m now in my third year. It began as just a few hoons of my friend’s vape on a night out, and then I started buying disposable ones under the pretence that it’s only temporary and that I can just quit when it runs out. I eventually caved (obviously) and bought a proper one to save money. Three years later and I can now finally admit that I may be addicted,” says Massey student Amelia Dubois.
The Instagram poll also concluded that 71 per cent of youth vapers do not trust the Ministry of Health’s “expert opinion that vaping products are much less harmful than smoking tobacco”. Does this mean that students just don’t give a shit? Probably.
“Vaping hasn’t been around for very long and there hasn’t been any research on its long-term health effects, so no one can be 100% certain that it’s that much better for you,” says Elliot Jefferies, Massey grad student.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say that it’s just water vapour, completely dismissing all the chemicals and toxins that are also in vape juice. I don’t believe vaping is worse for you than smoking, but I don’t know if I can go as far as to believe that it is much better,” says Lucy Bull, fashion student.
Although the general consensus is that vaping exposes the user to fewer toxicants than cigarettes do, vape juice also contains heavy metals such as nickel, tin and lead, and harmful flavourings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease.
Judging by the recent statistics, vaping among New Zealander’s is set to further increase under the current regulations. For Aotearoa’s goal of reducing smokers down to only 5 per cent of our population by 2025, this is fabulous news! For the overall health and wellbeing of our population, especially our youth, perhaps not so much…
Obviously, the healthiest option for everybody is simply not to smoke or vape. If you don’t already smoke, don’t start vaping; sounds simple right? And if you don’t think you look cool enough without your little electric friend, simply buy a pair of Birkenstocks or an air fryer and voilà, you’ll be the sickest person in town.