July 26, 2018
Axing smokes solution to dairy crime
Māori public health organisation Hāpai Te Hauora is rejecting suggestions it’s time to stop tobacco price rises to protect dairy owners.
Responding to a report commissioned by Imperial Tobacco NZ that claimed 9 per cent of tobacco in 2017 was obtained illegally, Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters echoed another industry talking point that the statutory annual price rises were leading to people being murdered and assaulted in dairies.
Hāpai Te Hauora chief executive Lance Norman says the price rises are saving lives because they have discouraged 18,000 young people from taking up the habit.
He says government actions so far have been limited to tax rises and plain packaging, and it’s time to tackle the tobacco supply.
"Take it out of dairies because dairies are being hurt, dairy owners. We know some dairies sell single cigarettes. We know some dairies sell under age cigarettes. Both of those are illegal so that would be a good place to take it out of," Mr Norman says.
He agrees with the acting prime minister that it’s wrong that only 3 percent of the $2 billion collected in tobacco excise is going on smoking minimisation, and says that sort of mis-allocation is all to common in areas affecting Māori public health.
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