New Zealand to ban disposable e-cigarettes amid surge in youth vaping

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New Zealand said Wednesday it will ban disposable e-cigarettes, or vapes, and raise financial penalties for those who sell such products to minors.

The move comes less than a month after the government repealed a unique law enacted by the previous left-leaning government to phase out tobacco smoking by imposing a lifetime ban on young people buying cigarettes.

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New Zealand’s Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said Wednesday that e-cigarettes remain “a key smoking cessation device” and the new regulations will help prevent minors from taking up the habit.

“While vaping has contributed to a significant fall in our smoking rates, the rapid rise in youth vaping has been a real concern for parents, teachers and health professionals,” Costello said.

A row of vapes is seen in an Auckland, New Zealand, store on Feb. 11, 2018. (Michael Craig/New Zealand Herald via AP)

Under the new laws, retailers that sell vapes to children under 18 years of age will face fines of up to $60,000, while individuals will be fined $600.

Other regulations introduced will prevent e-cigarettes from being sold with images that might appeal to young people or with enticing names.