HRPR

I agree with @EricCrampton. But to correct misrepresentations: 1. Tobacco excise tax in NZ is not tagged for Health. It goes into the general tax bucket. Funding for health is a govt Budget decision. The article makes it sound like the illicit tobacco market is robbing Health funding. Indirectly, it could lead to a government decreasing health spending but that’s unlikely. 2. Tobacco Control as a sector worldwide, from the @WHO, its @FCTCofficial secretariat, and prohibitionist academics and health NGOs, have spread so much misinformation about vaping that many people who smoke have been turned away from switching to vastly safer alternative products - including vaping. Scientific evidence now strongly shows that vaping is more effective at helping people to stop smoking than Big Pharma’s nicotine replacement products such as the patch, gum and lozenges. The Ministry of Health NZ has not done enough to counter the disinformation. 3. The previous government banned oral nicotine pouches — arguably one of the lowest risk alternatives to cigarettes. These products were selling well in NZ. Prohibiting oral nicotine pouches closed off one of the off-ramps from smoking that very well could have supported NZ to hit 5% or below smoking prevalence by the 2025 target. First step is to repeal that ban. Second, send a clear message that the alternative products (vaping, oral nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products) are vastly safer than continuing to smoke. Otherwise, the Australian crime-driven blackmarket that has led to extortion and fire-bombings of almost 300 tobacconists and stores that sell cigarettes across Australia could cross the Tasman. New Zealand had a blackmarket previously — ramraids of shops, violent assaults on shop staff and a few deaths. The current government stopped that. They need to stay strong and hold their ground against crime. @CaseyCostelloMP @nzfirst @dbseymour @actparty

Low risk alternatives to cigarettes, such as vapes and oral nicotine pouches should be sold everywhere where combustible smoking products eg cigarettes are sold. It should be a condition of getting a license to sell cigarettes 🚬.