Student research

We investigated underage young people’s access to R18 vaping products. We found widespread sharing of vaping products, as well as commercial sourcing. Greater enforcement of regulations and new policies governing outlet location and density are needed.

We analysed tweets supporting “World Vape Day”; we identified four key supporting arguments; found substantial criticism of those viewed as opposing ENDS, and noted frequent reliance on personal testimonials and rights based arguments.

We explored how young people interpret wellbeing and intersections between vaping and wellbeing. We found vaping disrupts all aspects of wellbeing, causes anxiety, lethargy, and loss of autonomy, harms whānau relationships, and impairs how rangatahi view themselves.

In-depth interviews probing how people with fewer material resources viewed tobacco endgame policies found they supported denicotinisation and enhanced cessation support, but often relied on industry framing to assert smoking as a “choice”.

We explored pharmacists’ views on supplying tobacco as a short-term measure designed to reduce smoking prevalence. Once smoking prevalence falls, pharmacy-supply could introduce a health-promotion approach to tobacco supply.

Miriama Matagi Tomasi (Ama) conducted talanoa with 16 young Pacific people to probe their knowledge, observations and experiences of tobacco supply. The sample of mainly non-smokers viewed smoking negatively, though recognised its role in reducing stress.

We explored how young people aged 17 to 18 perceived the Smokefree generation proposal. A large majority supported this policy and viewed it as protecting them from harms of addiction they had seen affect others.