The Ministry of Health has launched a public consultation on whether to lift the ban on e-cigarettes containing nicotine, saying existing regulations “are not adequate.”

Submissions are due by 12 Sept. “Currently, the sale and supply of nicotine e cigarettes are prohibited, while smoked tobacco, which is more harmful for users, can be sold legally. Users obtain nicotine e cigarettes through importation and illegal local sales. The existing provisions for the regulation of e cigarettes, found primarily in the Smoke-free Environments Act 1990 and the Medicines Act 1981, are not adequate,” the ministry said.
The consultation document proposes that all e-cigarettes (with and without nicotine) are made available for sale and supply lawfully in New Zealand, but that they are subject to some of the same restrictions as legal, smoked tobacco products, the ministry said.
A submission form and filing information are available at:
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/policy-options-regulation-electronic-cigarettes-consultation-document