This Government may have not acted illegally over Tobacco, but they have acted immorally
So Christopher Luxon never talks to his Sister-in-law about tobacco or to his wife about which car she buys?
There seems to be a lack of communication going on here – is anyone talking to anyone?
The farce is Luxon is demanding National, ACT and NZ First highlight donations from tobacco when that donation was made out in the open!
Here’s Big Tobacco stoking Dairy crime fear while ignoring that it’s their addictive product fuelling that Dairy crime…
The ‘corner dairy campaign’ quietly backed by big tobacco
A campaign to “save our stores” from a smokefree initiative looks like a grassroots effort. The truth is more complicated.
Since 1 August, ads have started showing up on Facebook urging people to support a petition to “save our stores”.
The ads, which lead to a website called Save Our Stores, ask users to sign a petition to repeal the Smokefree 2025 Act. The act includes a measure to reduce the number of stores selling full strength tobacco from 6000 nationwide to 600 by July 2024.
At first glance, the campaign appears to be an initiative from dairy owners. Under a headline of “who we are” on the website’s “about us” page, a dairy owner said to be from Lower Hutt is featured: “My name is Bhavesh. I’m a dairy owner in Lower Hutt. I’ve been serving customers for 17 years.”
However, smaller type at the bottom of the page says the website is “proudly supported” by tobacco companies BAT (British American Tobacco) New Zealand and Imperial Brands. The website’s privacy policy says the website is “provided” by the tobacco companies.
The website encourages dairy owners to get involved by printing out posters to display in their stores. These include messages in bold type warning: “This dairy is under threat of closure” with a QR code which leads to the website.
LOOK. AT. THE. POSTERS. AND. TELL. ME. THEY. ARE. NOT. POLITICAL!
The Tobacco Industry has already made its ‘donation’ to this Government, so pretending the Rights hands are clean over Tobacco donations is a fucking joke!
Perhaps a better question should be ‘does anyone in this new Government NOT work for the Tobacco industry’?
Tobacco kills 67% of those who use it!
No other product would be allowed that level of failure!
Maybe the first packet is free choice, but once you are addicted, you are hooked!
We only allow Tobacco to be sold legally because prohibition only benefits organised crime when it is forced into the black market.
The jackboot of the State should be fixed to the throats of all vice industry who harvest addiction, they should be forced to pay for the social damage their product creates.
The Vice Industry should all be under far more restrictions and costs because they trade on addiction that are incredibly damaging.
This Government may have not acted illegally over Tobacco, but they have acted immorally!
They have aided industry who harvest addictions nd reap misery before the well being of our people.
This is the value of what we have mutated into. This is us now all because Jacinda had the temerity of saving 20 000 lives from Covid!
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Welcome to legislation by lobbying. A very American concept sadly making it’s way into NZ. Frightening number of coalition politicians who have worked for lobbying groups but I for one believe them when they say their past has no bearing on their current positions lol.
This just goes from bloody awful, to criminally insane.
If you were one of the hardworking dairy owners who were not chosen to be one of the 600 sellers you would be upset as well and those that were chosen would have to convert their dairy in a mini fort Knox to protect stock.
At the end of the day those still smoking will not stop due to cost or lack of supply so who was this defeated bill going to help ?
Trevor I think some of your comments are going completely against substantial evidence. Cost has absolutely been a factor in reducing smoking rates.
Luxon himself has said ( at least he is saying this week) he will continue to raise the excise. Along with giving his mates tax cuts the rationale is that raising the excise is one commitment to reducing smoking rates. That’s why Casey Costello and her mates are trying to freeze the increases. She is trying to maintain smoking rates. She doesn’t say that explicitly but why the hell else would you be trying to do this ( contradicting Luxon probably not her aim). It’s absolute shite that she’s is feeling bad for Māori and Pacific peoples. If she is that of course would be a complete contradiction of no policies for certain races. They are just bullshitters.
Hey Trevor.
It wasn’t a defeated bill.
It was passed by the Parliament of the time.
It has been repealed by the current government based purely on Ideology and the need to fund the tax cuts promised during the election.
How about you stick to the facts instead of blowing smoke out your arse like your tobacco loving right wing numbnuts that you so obviously love.
The Dairy owners obviously don’t agree with you Trevor. They knew it was going to further reduce smoking rates and hit their profitability.
The statistics also show that increased cost and reduced availability are the most significant factor in reducing smoking rates.
It’s appalling that we have not moved to stem the availability of vapes, allowing it to become the next harmful addiction that society will end paying the cost for.
Your motto seems to be that government action to protect business is good, and government action to protect workers is bad. Why should dairy owners be allowed a more or less guaranteed income by selling tobacco when it causes so many problems? I have no sympathy for business models that rely on causing damage to others & even less respect when they rely on addictive substances to keep people coming back.
All tobacco retailers are simply drug pimps.
The hardworking dairy owners for the most part are targeted because of their selling of cigarettes.
Imagine a country without cigarettes where dairies are no longer targeted? Nanzact have put paid to that Trev.
Co-existence of morals and politics in the same time-space might only be possible in the black hole.
The biggest question of all should be, of all the problems our country and many others are dealing with does it not seem strange that the first thing this govt announces is to repeal the Smokefree laws. It just reeks of theTobacco lobyists and the Dairy owners association being rewarded for their “support”
Surely there are bigger things that need dealing with first before our smokefree laws. It is always going to be money before ethics with this Government
Luxon has to step down as PM if there is evidence of impropriety, a nepotistic conflict of interest at best, insider trading at worst.
Yes the right were here in droves to execute Mahuta.