Has the HEETS Tobacco Brand Become an Illegal Tobacco Product?

It is believed that more than 90% of the partners who have not used IQOS electronic cigarettes will encounter a common headache when they are new to it. That is [do not know how to choose suitable for their own cartridges]

The Ministry of Health says the high-tech tobacco products launched by Philip Morris in New Zealand are illegal. iqos e-cigarettes, launched in Auckland in December, are battery-powered and then heat a specially designed tobacco stick. It does not burn like a traditional cigarette. Last month, it was reported in the Otago Daily Times that the Department of Health said it was discussing the product with Philip • Morris, but not that it was illegal.

The Department of Health has now clarified its position and said the battery-powered holders are legal because of the tobacco sticks in them, called Heets, in which the tobacco is heated rather than burned.

“It appears to us that Heets products are banned from sale in New Zealand under the Smokefree Environments Act. ”

Chief Counsel Phil Knipe said discussions are still ongoing with Philip • Morris about the product.

“The Department continues to monitor any violations of the Smoke-Free Environments Act. ” he said.

When asked if legal action was being considered against the release of the product, he said: “The department is still investigating the matter. ”

The product was launched at an event at an upscale beachfront venue in Auckland in December, with calls for it to be available in the center of New Zealand, including Queenstown and Dunedin.

A Philip • Morris New Zealand spokesperson said they remained confident of complying with the Smokefree Environments Act.

“As mentioned earlier, the part of the law that the Ministry of Health refers to was enacted in the 1990s to address chewing tobacco and has nothing to do with heated tobacco or e-cigarettes. ”

Since Iqos and Heets are new to New Zealand, it is in the process of exchanging views with the Ministry of Health on their appropriate categorization under the “Act”.

These products are part of the company's commitment to designing a smoke-free future and its full commitment to selling smoke-free products that will eventually replace cigarettes.

“A growing number of health experts agree that e-cigarettes and other smokeless products are less harmful than cigarettes because they don't burn tobacco and produce smoke that contains a number of harmful substances, which are the leading cause of smoking-related disease. ”

The company announced last week that more than 1 million smokers around the world have converted to IQOS.