Today marks a tragic milestone for New Zealanders as the Coalition Government side with big tobacco to repeal the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins and Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said.
“The action the Coalition Government is taking today is not only a stain on Parliament’s record, it is morally reprehensible and a blemish on the records of New Zealand’s health system,” Chris Hipkins said.
“The Government folding to big tobacco while pretending to care about the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders is the stuff of dystopian nightmares. It lacks a moral compass, content to continue to promote and support an industry that literally kills its consumers,” Chris Hipkins said.
“Smoking is toxic. It is our leading cause of premature death. Desperately trying to make up figures for promised tax cuts for the wealthiest New Zealanders will be at the expense of thousands of lives, and $5.25 billion dollars to the system in healthcare costs,” Ayesha Verrall said.
“The Coalition Government contradicts itself when members say they care about reducing smoking while they are making it easier for young people to buy tobacco.
“Not only has the Coalition Government ignored public opinion, the Associate Minister Casey Costello has been told by countless health experts, medical colleges, and advised by the Ministry of Health not to repeal the legislation in order to save lives.
What will banning achieve? Enlargen black market for smokes, drive people towards other harmful drugs??? I suppose no one is consuming any of the banned /illegal drugs in this country???
Yeah, and what about the idiots pushing for dope to be made legal?