Associate Health Minister Casey Costello has slashed the excise tax on heated tobacco products by half, aiming to make them a more appealing alternative to smoking. Casey Costello is also weighing the sale of oral nicotine products like nicotine pouches, though Ministry of Health officials are opposed. She did not respond to our invitation to join the programme. Tobacco researcher at the University of Auckland and spokesperson for Health Coalition Aotearoa Professor Chris Bullen spoke to Corin Dann.