May 24, 2018
Dairy ban vital step to Smokefree 2025
A Maori public health advocacy group says the Smokefree 2025 target won’t be reached unless the Government takes stronger action like banning sales of cigarettes.
In a briefing to MPs this week, Hapai Te Hauora chief executive Lance Norman said while increased taxes and the shift to plain packaging had been good, government hadn’t done enough to support people to break the habit.
He says tobacco sales could be phased out over time, starting by taking cigarettes out of dairies.
"We know some dairies have been harmed through break ins and robberies for cigarettes so we know we can protect them. We know some dairies are selling single cigarettes which is illegal. We know some dairies are selling to our babies which is illegal. So let’s get it out of that location to stop our young people getting into the habit," Mr Norman says.
He says the government takes $2 billion a year in tax on cigarettes, but a fraction of that goes into stop smoking programmes.
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