Vaping Seminar

The New Zealand Government has committed to achieving a smokefree New Zealand by 2025.  Achieving this goal involves actions from both within and outside of the health setting.  To reach the goal the Southern District Health Board has a role to play in providing professional development for those working with patients and clients to become smokefree.

The government believes vaping products “have the potential to make a contribution to the Smokefree 2025 goal and could disrupt the significant inequities that are present” (https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/preventative-health-wellness/tobacco-control/vaping-and-smokeless-tobacco) 

Unfortunately many myths and misinformation exist around the use of vaping products as a helpful tool to support people to stop smoking cigarettes.  Smoked tobacco continues to unambiguously kill nearly 5,000 New Zealanders every year.  The vaping industry has come along and disrupted the medical model by giving people who smoke what they want – a product that satiates their cravings without all the harm from combusted smoked tobacco.

The smokefree team believe it is timely to engage with our community to share the current evidence on vaping to stop smoking.  We are holding three, one-day seminars in Invercargill, Dunedin and Central Otago. 

Invercargill          20^th November 2019       Civic Theatre      9.00am to 3.15pm

Dunedin              21^st November 2019        Art Gallery          9.00am to 3.15pm

Central Otago     To be advised – early 2020

The Vaping Seminar series are for primary and secondary healthcare professionals, allied health staff and our community partners who support the smokefree kaupapa. 

The seminars are free to attend but registration is required to attend.  Please complete the online registration form by 6th September.

More information about vaping can be found here https://vapingfacts.health.nz/

Key messages:

Vaping is different to smoking

The difference between smoking and vaping is that smoking delivers nicotine by burning tobacco, which can cause smoking-related illnesses.  Vaping delivers nicotine in a much less harmful way by heating a liquid.  While nicotine is addictive, it does not cause cancer.

Vaping is less harmful than smoking

Switching from smoking to vaping allows a person to manage their cravings of nicotine, without as many harmful toxins that come from burning tobacco.  Vaping also provides many of the behavioural and social aspects of smoking, which many people find is one of the hardest things to change.

Vaping is not harmless

The biggest risks of vaping are the unknown risks.  Vaping hasn’t been around long enough to know the risks of long-term use, so although any risk is likely to be much less harmful than smoking, it’s not harmless.  People who vape should eventually stop vaping too, but only when they know they won’t go back to smoking.  If you don’t smoke, don’t vape.  Vaping is not for children.