TOBACCO INDUSTRY – UNDER THE PUBLIC SPOTLIGHT
MAORI AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE TO HOLD INQUIRY ON TOBACCO INDUSTRY PRACTICES

The announcement that the Maori Affairs Select Committee will put the Tobacco Industry under the spotlight, as never before, will be a watershed moment for public health advocates in this country.

“For too long the tobacco industry has hidden in the shadows counting the money it makes off of its customers addiction. This industry has had a particularly devastating impact on the Maori community.” said Shane Bradbrook Director of Te Reo Marama (Maori Tobacco Control Advocates). “I am proud that the Maori Affairs Select Committee, on behalf of Maori, is taking the issue of tobacco addiction directly to those people that are responsible for its daily carnage.”

Whilst proponents will argue that tobacco use is a personal choice, and that users know the dangers, the reality is this industry has a track record of lies and deception that needs to be challenged in a public forum. The Tobacco Industry is about addiction for profit with minimal regard or responsibility for the 5000 deaths of New Zealanders, of which over 400 are Maori, each year.

“The tobacco industry should be held accountable and responsible for its role in killing so many New Zealanders. I would challenge anyone to provide a reason for this industry not being held accountable or even existing in this century,” stated Mr Bradbrook. “This industry has a thin veneer of corporate respectability that allows them to still operate with no regard for our communities.”

A Committee inquiry provides an opportunity to question the relevance of this industry that has managed to operate with impunity for decades despite the overwhelming evidence that finds no benefit in its use.

“Where is the public good in this product? There is not one discernible positive attribute that can be said about this product or the industry. It is not normal business practice to market and produce something that kills its customers in such high numbers. If tobacco was introduced today it would never make it onto the market.” said Mr Bradbrook. “The Tobacco Industry is effectively given a historic dispensation to make money that no other product or industry would ever receive today. That dispensation should end with the total recall of this deadly product.”

A decade ago the ‘tobacco’ debate use to centre on smokefree environments it is now shifting to the actual relevance of the tobacco industry in the 21st Century.

“There was a time where society condoned slavery and the use of child labour in the mines of England. But societies evolve; they grow and develop. The tobacco industry should be consigned to the history books just like slavery was.” state Mr Bradbrook.

ENDS

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