Better health and quality of life for all New Zealanders will be the outcome if the proposed amendments to the Smokefree
Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill are passed. The New Zealand College of Public Health
Medicine (NZCPHM) supports the visionary actions outlined in the Bill. The Bill places Aotearoa New Zealand on track to
be largely smoke-free by 2025.
Dr Jim Miller, the President of the NZCPHM, says this legislation has the potential to save lives. “Smoking kills 5,000
people a year in Aotearoa New Zealand. Tobacco is proven to cause a range of diseases that put additional pressures on
our health system, and we need to start addressing the supply of tobacco. This legislation limits the number of
retailers selling tobacco products and that will certainly have a positive impact in reducing tobacco usage,” says Dr
Miller
“It is pleasing to see the Bill aims to prevent rangatahi and tamariki from starting smoking. Age limits will be set to
prohibit selling tobacco products to anyone born after 2009. We believe this plan will stop a whole generation of
smokers being introduced to smoking and its harms”
“Adult Māori smoking rates are double that of all adult New Zealanders. We are heartened to see that te Tiriti o
Waitangi principles have been placed at the heart of the new legislation and that iwi will be consulted about the supply
of tobacco in their own areas”
“The proposal reducing nicotine in cigarettes is definitely a step in the right direction.” According to Dr Miller,
there are significant advantages in taking this action. “Overseas research shows that lowering nicotine in cigarettes
makes them less addictive and as a result people are more likely to quit”.
“We are pleased to see that this Bill aligns with the College’s A Prescription for Health and Equity for All”, says Dr Miller. “This is a strong public health initiative that we fully support.”