New Zealand to introduce new rules to crack down on youth vaping

The number of teenagers vaping in New Zealand has risen dramatically over the past 5 years, even as cigarette smoking dropped to its lowest ever levels. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

New Zealand is cracking down on youth vaping, with new rules to try to curb growing numbers of teens taking up the habit.

The government announced on Tuesday it would be banning most disposable vapes, not allowing new vape shops near schools and enforcing generic flavour descriptions – so more evocative descriptors like “strawberry jelly doughnut” would become “berry”.