Concern for pupils prompts call by principals for law on vaping

ROTORUA: Teenagers say vaping is addicting their friends to nicotine, and a Rotorua principal is urging the Government to introduce tighter restrictions on vaping before the end of the year.

Two year 12 pupils, who asked not to be named, told RNZ that most of the teenagers they knew had tried vaping and some were regular users, vaping at home and in the toilets at school.

‘‘It blew up very quickly halfway through this year, or earlier in the year, and then almost everyone has done it now,’’ one of them said.

‘‘I definitely think there have been problems with friends who overuse it.’’

The second pupil said they had seen people in class apparently suffering from addiction to nicotine.

‘‘People shaking and stuff after 15, 20 minutes, needing it I guess. It’s not good,’’ they said.

The pupil said some students were using older relatives and friends to obtain vape liquid containing nicotine, which is restricted to people aged 18 and over.

Auckland Secondary Schools Principals Association president Richard Dykes said schools had all but eradicated smoking but were now seeing relatively small numbers of students addicted to nicotine through the use of vapes.

‘‘We are already working with young people, saying OK how do we get you on to another product, such as nicotine patches or whatever to get you off your nicotine addiction. So, yes, the vaping is addicting young people. Some of them are starting as young as intermediate,’’ he said.

The Government said in midSeptember it would introduce a Bill to Parliament introducing further regulations for vaping products within a few weeks.

This week, it said it was still working on the Bill and it should be tabled shortly.

The changes the Government was considering for inclusion in the Bill included limiting the flavours available for vaping and banning it in smokefree areas.

Rotorua’s John Paul College principal, Patrick Walsh, said he and other principals wanted the Government to introduce the Bill and pass it as soon as possible.

‘‘We have a high level of frustration in this area. It’s an urgent matter. Every week that goes by more and more children are taking up vaping.

‘‘The Government does need to treat this as a matter of urgency . . . otherwise it’ll get to a point where we will have lost these young people to vaping and another generation of smokers.’’

Mr Walsh said the problem was growing quickly and schools wanted to stamp it out.

The vicepresident of the Principals’ Federation, Perry Rush, said even primary and intermediate schools had seen a significant increase in pupils vaping during and after school hours.

Mr Rush said schools wanted more advice on the health risks of vaping and how they should respond. — RNZ

❛ So, yes, the vaping is addicting young people. Some of them are starting as young as intermediate