"The World is Watching": A Chance for New Zealand to be Global Leader in Tobacco Control Strategies

New Zealand, and other countries in Oceania, have the opportunity to set world precedents in tobacco control, says a leader of Canada's tobacco control lobby.
Rob Cunningham of the Canadian Cancer Society is a lawyer who has taken on the tobacco industry in the Canadian Supreme Court, and who took part in negotiations in Geneva for the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Speaking to the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference in Auckland today, he said although the region had made "a good start", it was important to now increase the momentum.

"My number one recommendation to New Zealand policy-makers would be increasing tobacco taxes, especially closing the loophole that effectively allows roll-your-own tobacco to be taxed at a lower rate than cigarettes. Roll-your-owns in New Zealand comprise a very significant part of the market, and the cheap price deters quitting." Mr Cunningham told the 370 international delegates.

Mr Cunningham said New Zealand's daily smoking rate of around 23 percent of the population was notably higher than that of Canada's 14 percent, but he said every country has lots of work to do.

"New Zealand has the chance to lead the way by putting in place world precedent-setting measures such as plain packaging, messages such as ‘Quit now, save money' directly on the cigarette itself, limiting tobacco sales to tobacco-only stores, prohibiting all flavoured cigarettes including menthol, and recovering annually the full cost of tobacco control expenditure from the tobacco industry.

Mr Cunningham said a myriad of measures have been implemented elsewhere that the Oceania region could put in place, such as banning retail displays and signage, banning smoking in vehicles carrying children, banning smoking in various outdoor areas, bans on misleading labelling such as the terms "light" and "mild", and health care cost recovery lawsuits against tobacco manufacturers.

"The world is watching," Mr Cunningham told the conference. "I encourage the countries of Oceania to demonstrate global leadership in tobacco control, by building on their past impressive successes."

ENDS

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