Movement to ban commercial tobacco in New Zealand grows
Murray Laugesen wrote to me yesterday about the continuing movement to ban cigarettes in New Zealand.
“Went to a hearing today in Christchurch New Zealand, held by the Maori Affairs committee parliamentary inquiry into the tobacco industry. (Imperial Tobacco today). They got roasted. Virtually every NGO and the district health board asked for an end to all tobacco sales (let them grow their own if they must) but with 5000 deaths a year from legal sales, a small blackmarket looks quite appealing.”
(Laugeson: published with permission)
In contrast to the US, and in large part due to Murray’s efforts, the anti-smoking lobby in New Zealand see the electronic cigarette as an aid to an eventual ban on cigarettes rather than a threat to one. Murray even reports that the chair of the Maori Affairs committee waved his own electronic cigarette around during the hearing and spoke of the need to sell the devices with nicotine. (Currently, E cigarettes may only be sold without nicotine in New Zealand.)
He also pointed out an article in the New Zealand medical journal which outlined four strategies to end the sale of cigarette smoking by 2020.
Although Dr Laugesen is a great supporter of the electronic cigarette (and probably the world’s leading expert on them after his research into the devices), from a libertarian viewpoint I have to respectfully disagree with him on any move to ban commercial tobacco.
I see any attempt to restrict the choice of people to do what they want as an attack on liberty – and when we ban one free choice simply because it is harmful, where do we stop? Fast food? Coffee? Alcohol? Ski-ing?
I’m no expert, but I wonder also if conventional cigarettes would not be safer than homegrown tobacco. After all, cigarette manufacturers have had decades and a lot of money to research ways in which to minimise the harm of their products.
Tags: band, cigarette smoking, new zealand
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It’s only a matter of time before this spreads. Cigarettes as a product are doomed. In 10 years or maybe less, perhaps a bit more, they will be illegal to use and perhaps possess in most of the world. The momentum the anti smokers have is just too great.
It’s one of the things I think is pushing the anti ecig campaign. Big tobacco knows their time is short and are looking for new ways to save their business with new products. While at the moment big Pharma is our worst enemy, big Tobacco is lurking in the shadows helping along when they can because they want the technology.
It will be interesting to see if New Zealand leads the charge in totally outlawing tobacco.
The other thing New Zealand is forgetting is what happened when America tried to prohibit alcohol. You think a black market for cigarettes won’t come up? You think the drug cartels are bad, wait until they get a hold of cigarettes…
E-Cig guy, while I normally agree with your analysis I am not sure I do this time. Marlboro actually issued a statement urging governments to regulate e-cigarettes but not to regulate smokeless tobacco products like SNUS. While I agree SNUS is a great product, I don’t think they are rooting for the e-cigarette. They have garnered themselves so much distrust that if they marketed the electronic cigarette, everyone would think they were up to their old tricks i.e. saying something was okay when it wasn’t.
Hi Bluezone, I completely agree with you, although when I raised the point with Murray he did point out that New Zealand is a small country surrounded by sea – easier to police than the US! However, in the UK there is a massive black market in cigarettes – according to some estimates a quarter of all cigarettes sold have been smuggled into the country.