E-cigarettes have been marketed as a 'safer' alternative to combustible tobacco, but new research suggests that their flavoring and additives may be just as damaging to the lungs. Photo / Getty

Expert questions smoke free goal as e-cigarettes gain popularity

Author: Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2019, 7:32AM

An expert is questioning the likelihood of New Zealand reaching its smoke-free 2025 goal.

It comes amid fears the rise of e-cigarettes is re-normalising smoking habits among teenagers.

Cardiff University public health expert Graham Moore told Kate Hawkesby while teenagers continue to view smoking as unacceptable, as long as tobacco exists people will smoke it.

"We are reaching a stage now where smoking rates are so low compared to what they used to be, it's hard to anticipate them falling any further.

"The fact that smoking rates are so low among young people is because of the amount of action taken to combat the issue. There is experimentation, especially with teenagers, but we are not seeing the regular use of smoking anymore."

Mr Moore says the declining rates of smoking reflect a worldwide trend which will hopefully continue into the future.

"I think we are reaching the stage where smoking rates are already so low, we can't really anticipate them dropping much lower."

The Smokefree 2025 target was set by the National-led government in 2011.