:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/grupoclarin/6QRRE7GX2VCB7KVYFDNZHOCKJQ.jpg "New Zealand will ban disposable electronic cigarettes to prevent minors from using them")
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand will ban disposable electronic cigarettes or vapes and increase financial penalties for those who sell these products to minors.
The decision came less than a month after the government repealed a pioneering law introduced by the previous left-wing government to gradually ban smoking with a lifelong ban on young people buying cigarettes.
E-cigarettes remain “a key smoking cessation device” and the new regulations will help prevent minors from starting to use them, said New Zealand Associate Health Minister Casey Costello.
“Although vaping has contributed to a significant decline in our smoking rates, the rapid rise of youth vaping has been a real concern for parents, teachers and health professionals,” Costello said.
Under the new laws, retailers who sell vaping devices to under-18s will face fines of up to NZ$100,000 (US$60,000), while individuals will be fined NZ$1,000 (US$600).
Other regulations will prevent the sale of electronic cigarettes with images that could attract young people or with attractive names.