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New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations

bbc.com

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Re: New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations

#31

Post by Matsta »

AlbertCory wrote: post #9

> New Zealand's smoking rate is already at historic lows, with just 8% of adults smoking daily according to government statistic released in November - down from 9.4% last year. if this was accomplished without prohibitions, how many negative consequences (black markets, organized crime, smuggling, adulterated cigarettes) is NZ willing to tolerate to get to zero? One would think that at some point, you get down to a…

Cigarettes are so expensive that no one really smokes them in NZ anyway, everyone has already moved to vapes.

I doubt that there will be a black market for tobacco as, by the time you smuggle them in, they still won't be that cheap.

Also, MPI (Ministry for Primary Industries) are even more strict on importing organic materials (or any biological for that matter) than Customs are on drugs.

In saying that, there was a big cigarette bust a couple of years back: https://www.customs.govt.nz/about-us/news/media-releases/cus...

Source: I'm Kiwi

Re: New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations

#32

Post by dsfyu404ed »

justahuman74 wrote: post #30
jmclnx wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Alcohol is also objectively bad, why not implement this for alchohol? Well we both know that will never happen. But yes, alcohol is harmful but I think smoking is even more so. If Cost is NZ only concern, they can always charge more for healthcare for people who drink/smoke, price depends upon length of use. But we all know that will never work. Where I work, just about everyone when signing up for healthcare alway…

> they can always charge more for healthcare That would be unpopular in a country that has free healthcare, making 'free' conditional will scare everyone with sliperly slope arguments that it will lead to a US-style system

Not to mention the further down the slope of "tax for this, fee for that" type carrot and stick bullshit you go the more you defeat the point of pooling the cost of something (either via insurance or via the state).

Re: New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations

#33

Post by Arubis »

dylan604 wrote: post #17
avbanks wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But I don't understand that, if we're operating on under the premise that smoking is bad for all (which it is), then why not ban it for all now? Thats sets a horrible precedent.

Any credence to it's better to prevent someone from starting than trying to get someone to stop? Trying to find a way to see this from a positive view than the super cynical way it comes across. I know I'm stretching for it, and it kind of hurts.

Giving credit where it's due: stretching to support an argument that isn't your own & doesn't align with your values is a lot of what makes this place great :D

Re: New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations

#34

Post by barbazoo »

justahuman74 wrote: post #28

What are they going to provide as an alternative to nicotine? People start using it for a reason

The NZ government might not think it's their responsibility to provide alternatives to harmful products they're banning.

Re: New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations

#35

Post by barbazoo »

standardUser wrote: post #11

Not to worry, the (black) market always provides. It's almost like the government is abdicating their own responsibility for regulating markets and protecting public health, and instead sanctioning criminal activity to handle the issue.

What would you do differently to solve the problem?

Re: New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations

#37

Post by b800h »

barbazoo wrote: post #35
standardUser wrote: post #11

Not to worry, the (black) market always provides. It's almost like the government is abdicating their own responsibility for regulating markets and protecting public health, and instead sanctioning criminal activity to handle the issue.

What would you do differently to solve the problem?

There isn't a problem.

Re: New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations

#38

Post by sarcoplasmic »

barbazoo wrote: post #35
standardUser wrote: post #11

Not to worry, the (black) market always provides. It's almost like the government is abdicating their own responsibility for regulating markets and protecting public health, and instead sanctioning criminal activity to handle the issue.

What would you do differently to solve the problem?

With 8% of NZ smoking and that number apparently falling, can you state the problem?

Re: New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations

#39

Post by Matsta »

I mentioned this already in a comment, but although this is a good law, the price of cigarettes is so high that most people have already moved to disposable vapes, which you can get from any Dairy (Kiwi word for a corner shop).

To top that off, Crime in NZ post covid has been pretty high, and Ram Raids (driving a stolen car through a shop front) are becoming more and more frequent. With cigarettes being so expensive, they are usually a pretty common target. A dairy worker was stabbed to death a few weeks ago by people who were probably intending to steal cigarettes [1]. I can see less and less retailers stocking cigarettes as the risks outweigh the benefits.

Also, the price of groceries in NZ is extortionate [2] and combined with crappy wages (every man and his dog are moving to Aus to double their salary), no one can afford to buy cigarettes.

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Sandringham_dairy_stabbin... [2] https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-drink/128200443/how-...

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