I really like a lot of what comes out of NZ, but not this sort of nanny state action. I believe it will have all sorts of negative consequences out of the public light and control. It's a high-level combination of "Won't someone think of the children?" and "Do as I say, not as I do". Definitively a political winner that doesn't impact anyone of voting age for the current crop of NZ politicians.
New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations
51–60 of 227 posts
Re: New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations
#52Not 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?
For me, the only way to reduce smoking and drug usage is through education -- prohibitions just end up increasing the black market, violence and incarceration rates.
Re: New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations
#53I really like a lot of what comes out of NZ, but not this sort of nanny state action. I believe it will have all sorts of negative consequences out of the public light and control. It's a high-level combination of "Won't someone think of the children?" and "Do as I say, not as I do". Definitively a political winner that doesn't impact anyone of voting age for the current crop of NZ politicians.
> I believe it will have all sorts of negative consequences out of the public light and control.
Can you please name some?
Re: New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations
#54Not 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.
Banning cigarettes is protecting public health
Re: New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations
#55One "good law" to paper over 9000 other very bad laws.
Re: New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations
#56Why stop there, why not ban alcohol and sugar as well? But don't touch my coffee - I need that. I'm not totally against government regulating vice, I do wish it was done at a local level so that in the spirit of federalization we can see what works and what doesn't in small experiments before other states would voluntarily adopt it. NZ is a small state so not too many people will be impacted. I do think in an environ…
>> Canadian style widely encouraged assisted suicide model
Canadian here; we're pretty much the polar opposite of our southern neighbours and I'd argue both of us are too extreme in our approach to health care, but I don't think you can accurately argue we have a "widely encouraged" model for ending your own life; except maybe compared to some states where life starts at ejaculation. There's a big difference between "access to" and "encouraged to".
Re: New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations
#57What are they going to provide as an alternative to nicotine? People start using it for a reason
Does anyone actually start smoking because they need nicotine? I've never heard that. It's always been peer pressure and only then do they get dependent on the nicotine.
Good point. What are they going to do to make me look cool then? Vaping (especially in cooler weather) looks ridiculous.
Re: New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations
#58Re: New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations
#59I really like a lot of what comes out of NZ, but not this sort of nanny state action. I believe it will have all sorts of negative consequences out of the public light and control. It's a high-level combination of "Won't someone think of the children?" and "Do as I say, not as I do". Definitively a political winner that doesn't impact anyone of voting age for the current crop of NZ politicians.
> I believe it will have all sorts of negative consequences out of the public light and control. Can you please name some?
War on drugs etc.
Re: New Zealand passes legislation banning cigarettes for future generations
#60> 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…
What's the point of banning cigarettes, then?