New Zealand Battery Law Forces IQOS Off the Market
According to Radio New Zealand, after the country's new battery law took effect, Philip Morris International removed its IQOS heated tobacco devices from store shelves. The new law requires vaping devices to have removable batteries. In New Zealand, heat-
According to Radio New Zealand, following the entry into force of New Zealand’s battery law, Philip Morris International has taken its IQOS heated device off store shelves. The new law requires vaping devices to have removable batteries. In New Zealand, heated tobacco products (HNB) are classified as e-cigarettes.
RNZ said it had seen an email from the tobacco company to suppliers stating that “IOQS cannot be purchased due to regulatory changes affecting vaping devices from 1 October 2024.” The multinational company said in a statement that it always complies with all necessary regulations, including those related to electronic devices.
IQOS tobacco sticks, called Heatsticks, are still on sale in New Zealand.
Earlier, Deputy Health Minister Casey Costello announced in July that the excise tax on heated tobacco products (HNB) would be cut by 50%, a move that sparked controversy. Critics said it would only benefit Philip Morris International (PMI), the product’s sole supplier in New Zealand.
Costello argued the tax cut would encourage smokers to switch to heated tobacco products (HNB), which are considered less harmful than combustible cigarettes. Her plan was to get more than 7,000 people to switch to HNB, which she saw as a way to help New Zealand meet its smoking reduction goals.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon backed Costello, telling RNZ that the excise cut was a 12-month trial designed to “see” how heated tobacco products could reduce smoking rates.
Health advocates accused the governing coalition of bowing to pressure from tobacco lobbyists. At the end of 2023, the government repealed the country’s controversial generational tobacco ban, which prohibited people born after 2009 from using tobacco products.
In a briefing released on January 31 by the Public Health Communication Centre, three public health academics from the University of Otago highlighted ties between government MPs and the tobacco industry.
