New Zealand smoking ban scrapped by government in shock reversal - BBC News

New Zealand's new government says it plans to scrap the nation's world-leading smoking ban to fund tax cuts, a reversal strongly criticised by health experts.
The legislation, introduced under the previous Jacinda Ardern-led government, would have banned cigarette sales next year to anyone born after 2008.
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths in New Zealand, and the policy had aimed to stop young generations from picking up the habit.
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[@davidyang1565]

Fully support New Zealand New Government.

[@robert3987]

The New Zealand coalition government is committed to undoing Labour's terrible legislation.

[@reilly2173]

So many bots.

[@PhilipBaker-sf4yv]

I dislike smoking but i hate oppressive governments

[@V01DIORE]

It's not oppressive to ban harmful substances, do you want the freedom to take cocaine and heroin? For those addictions to infect the newer generations being freely brought on shop shelves?

[@stalwart263]

@@V01DIORE It most certainly is oppressive. I should be able to do whatever I like as long as it doesn't harm others. I am actually a non smoker but I can see how dangerous it is for governments to decide what its people can or can't do. After all the government is supposed to serve the people and preserve their freedoms. Not oppress them,

[@spookystorytime2774]

It is oppressive also guess what else is a harmful substance. That causes addiction and liver failure Alcohol. So I guess your for banning that to

[@V01DIORE]

@@stalwart263 So we should unban all harmful substances, tax them and put them on shop shelves? Hell why not some open brothels while we're at it? You wouldn't care if any of your family members or children picked up a bad addiction by peer pressure or something right? Too bad if they die so long as they pay enough taxes before dying right? There are multiple safer alterative of nicotine consumption and all of it is for a mild relaxant effect at the cost of tar lungs... it is unnecessary, if anything is to be banned for sake of posterity that is it.

[@defaultbrownie]

@@V01DIORE 😂

[@tammyd7785]

That gets me people can get high in the streets lay around on the streets sleep on the streets poop on the sidewalks but I can't smoke without some kind of crazy complaints

[@yvonnelee3880]

That's about it

[@spencerhulme1203]

In the UK 30 grams of Amber Leaf costs £20 pounds the government in taxes takes £16 per packet sold!

[@danieljwebb]

Good! They need that amount of tax to fund the absolute health crisis that results from smoking.

[@chucky2316]

​@danieljwebb need it too feed the cuckoos in the nest you mean

[@andyotoole3485]

Just gone up again lad, £22.50 now 😭🧐

[@Isochest]

​@@chucky2316Cuckoos from all over the world

[@lks6248]

@@danieljwebb, the crisis is smaller than the one caused by the millions who eat too much/eat unhealthy food and are burdening the health care system with all manner of preventable diseases/conditions. Yet we do not tax sugar, seed oils and processed foods at anything like the same levels ….

[@vicowen5300]

USA Prohibition comes to mind , if the people want something, someone will provide it.

[@annemitchell6144]

Yeah it's called supply and demand

[@dbkarman]

different. ones a capitalistic drug barely created 100 years ago that was forced on the populous the other is an alcoholic beverage thats been created and consumed for millennia and that is not adictive/harmfull unless you take the piss out of it and become a drunk. only people that will benefit from no ban is the companies since addicts can still buy them. its just gonna stop kids having access to them. plus: it will most likely also act as a first step into drug taking and insead of the kids that want to be roadmen taking weed/other hard drugs as a first it will probably be smoking since its "illegal" so "cool" to them. its actually a thing im not taking the piss

[@adrianlloyd6403]

Cannabis is illegal in the UK (exempt on some medical grounds) but plenty of people smoke cannabis.

[@disorganizedorg]

@@adrianlloyd6403 As it was here (I'm in a US state where it's legal for age 21+). The laws stopped nobody, but it did cause them to do business with dealers who were also interested in selling other, profitable drugs. Decades ago when I was interested in such, I would have had a much harder time finding amphetamines were it not for my weed dealer being able to refer me to a friend. Now, if you're in a weed store and even mention illegal drugs in a way that suggests that you seek them you'll be asked to leave.

[@joermnyc]

Kind of hard to hide you’ve been smoking illegally though, since the smell gets into everything.

[@leed2883]

One of the policies proposed by the newly elected government was to reverse the smoking ban? I would say this is democracy. They voted for it and got it.

[@chucky2316]

It's what the left do always whine

[@hgbnkbggj2915]

Sure it's a victory for democracy. It's merely bad for everyone and everything else (including the longer-term economy), so hardly worth celebrating.

[@mrb.5610]

Good government is there to give the people what they *need* , not what they *want* .

[@_ArsNova]

How was it even legal to "ban smoking" in the first place? Everyone knows its unhealthy yes, but adults can decide for themselves what to do. What a bizarre and controlling policy.

[@davidmcnulty8391]

How was it even legal to "ban speeding" in the first place? Everyone knows it's dangerous yes, but adults can decide for themselves what to do. What a bizarre and controlling policy.

[@gertiegroan4248]

There are young people here in nz who have never smoked cigarettes but are taking to vapes in droves. If they allow nicotine to be put into these vapes to keep people hooked then they may as well just let them smoke ciggies. The arguments that vaping helps people get off ciggies seems to be bollocks, its just getting your nicotine fix in another form.

[@robertreynolds6072]

192,000 tobacco related deaths per year in UK...140,000 alcohol related deaths. Yet we hear nothing about banning alcohol.

[@_ArsNova]

Heart disease kills even more. Yet I hear no cries to ban obesity and junk foods either.

[@naylas3908]

That’s the UK, though. Most other countries don’t have such a binge drinking culture.

[@wurstsalatohnegurke]

Plus smoking doesn’t just hurt the smoker but the people all around who don’t want that crap in their lungs

[@TasTheWatcher]

No such thing as passive-drunkenness

[@jakel8627]

It's almost like tobacco and alcohol are different drugs or something?

[@blackrock2222]

WTF is AMK33X?😂

[@rafflesiaandfriends]

Scam bots

[@anonymes2884]

Whatever it is, it's apparently going to revolutionise how we live our lives. (so I for one welcome our new AMK33X overlords)

[@peterbarton9856]

It's just another crypto scam. KZbin seems to like them for some reason as they do nothing to stop them.

[@disorganizedorg]

Looks like New Zealand avoided creating a black market.

[@V01DIORE]

For a drug with multiple safer alternatives? For a drug with a mild high you don't even get till continued use? For a drug that is only an ill with no redeeming features?

[@scotty90]

Wait how was the allowed to ban smoking in the first place

[@Guesswhokk]

If cigarettes and alcohol were invented today, it would immediately be classed as illegal drugs. Because medical profession considered either drugs are more "harmful" than cocaine.

[@sOnIcBo0mBoY]

Yes, but prohibition does not work! Where there is a demand; there will be a supply. Prohibition creates an unregulated market; which often makes the problem worse.

[@dannyboywhaa3146]

Whatever happened to ‘my body, my choice’? Does nobody care that it’s outright fascism? What about sugar? Or bacon? Where will this end?

[@jbt8922]

Cocaine has medicinal purposes.

[@Kwippy]

Yeah stupid doctors and scientists what do they know? They were wrong about covid and they were wrong about vaccines, Better to die than to be a sheep.

[@jamonit7169]

@@dannyboywhaa3146 Let's leave bacon out of this....(-;

[@matthoward9860]

NZer here. Also an ex smoker and vaper. Vaping has sky rocketed here in New Zealand. Most school kids vape now. I worked with 16 17 year olds on a recent job site and they all vaped. My friends a teacher at an all girls high school and catches her students vaping in class all the time. There are vape shoppers every where. At the same time labour/greens were banning smokes the had a referendum to legalize marijuana. Its all back to front. Smoking is bad for you obviously. But people should have the right to make their own choice. And you can quit, i know because i have. It wasnt easy. People need some sort of stress relief from working long hours from all the bills, rates and taxes we have to pay. Also the part about Maori being disproportionately affected by the law change is classic bullshit. Suggests that without smokes being banned they dont have the abiltiy or will power to quit. How about all liquor stores and fast food/takeway that are through all the lower income suburbs... Surely they cant be good for Maori health outcomes.

[@signsofplay]

If they get away with banning cigarettes, then what will they go after next??

[@chucky2316]

Petrol

[@apollomemories7399]

Hopefully the LGBTQIA+ brigade.

[@signsofplay]

Red meat.

[@annemitchell6144]

Exactly where does it stop

[@TasTheWatcher]

I know, next they'll be banning marijuana, or LSD, or magic mushrooms... oh wait...

[@GarfieldtheDestroyer]

While the ban came from good intentions I don't think it would actually work in practice considering the war on drugs

[@lfeb]

Maybe, maybe not. Most people I know that quit smoking do it because of the expense and it would make it more expensive and more of a pain to get. Worth it for the high you get from cannabis or something, but cigarettes are a very mild buzz and maybe not worth the trouble of getting it illegally

[@mildlydispleased3221]

Smoking will never be irradicated, just as drugs haven't been, the goal is to reduce access and therefore the chance of more people becoming addicted.

[@V01DIORE]

The posterity just as heroin ought not be wide spread neither should smoking, it serves no benefit but to be a societal ill.

[@skillbopster]

It was never good intentions it was outright classism.

[@Hunting4Data]

This was really only done as far as i can tell for tax income. The negatives of smoking heavily outweigh the benefits and honestly smoking culture in NZ is dead. You are looked down on if you smoke, and i rarely ran into it. This was a money grab pure and simple, and the longterm costs given our healthcare system means we probably still make a loss on it. I don't know a single person who wanted this ban reversed, there was no major presence of people pushing for it, it took me by surprise. Short sighted.

[@daveteasdale6565]

More importantly they’ve told the w.h.o. to sling their hook with it’s power grab 👏👏👏🍻

[@abeonthehill166]

I do not smoke as it is bad for my health and unpleasant for most other non smokers however, i do not believe in forcing others not to do what effects their health only. Shall we force overweight people to lose weight ? I do not support a bullying State . As long as smokers do not force me to breathe their smelly fumes, i have no problem with others doing a damaging habit that only harms them……personal choice and responsibility .

[@Kereru]

Foolishness. These days right wing nutters turn every topic in life into a theoretical debate about their ideological principles of freedom. Sometimes we're allowed to make sensible policy based real world data, science and health.

[@GetArkd]

"their health only"? Are you brain dead? Do you not know what second hand smoke is? I should slap you in the mouth

[@johndonoghue9089]

Looks like Philip Morris et al weren't keen on this then!

[@Jabberstax]

If you ban cigarettes, you make a black market for tobacco. Exactly what happened when America tried to ban alcohol. All you'll do is give criminals a easy revenue source.

[@V01DIORE]

No because there are many alterative safer forms of nicotine consumption and it doesn't give a significant high enough to chase unless you're already addicted.

[@somniumisdreaming]

Sweet summer child. OP is correct.

[@andysims4906]

My grandad used to smoke a pipe . In the end it killed him. He was always happy and loved his pipe and the odd beer now and then. At least he lived to 76 and made the most of his life. Not like now . Lots of young people these days have depression. Don’t go out as they don’t have any money all the pubs are shutting down , food has all the sugar and salt taken out . Every one is like zombies glued to their phone or computer. And ULEZ charges for some poor motorists. Maybe if he didn’t smoke he could of got a few more years . But at least he was happy . Not like a large part of the population today .

[@doghat1619]

Do you think the lack of smoking causes depression?

[@Captain.Pugwash]

​@@doghat1619that's not stated or implied. Read again.

[@italifacts1461]

_An appeal to emotion isn't a very strong argument I'm afraid Andy._

[@ciaranbyrne62]

Sometimes I have felt happy in life i do feel my life would be happier if I still smoked cigarettes and binge drank. But you know that lifestyle causes financial strains I don't need and health problems in both the mind and body. Oh well mustn't grumble 😊

[@adrianlouw2499]

76 is the PERFECT age I hope I go then. My aunt is 90 and it couldn't be more stressful for the family and she clearly hates life where before she was the happiest. Old age is so overrated.

[@stalwart263]

It’s totally wrong for a government to decide to take away a freedom from its people. If I choose to smoke in a private place its nobody’s business except mine.

[@polka1449]

who pays for the lung extraction

[@stalwart263]

@@polka1449 The tax raised on tobacco easily covers the medical costs with a lot left over. Win win!

[@HabitualFixation]

Exactly. They need to legalize methamphetamine for a lot of us now.

[@HabitualFixation]

​@stalwart263 no as it's going to people for tax cuts, not the health system

[@jimmyriddle50]

Some people, including young adults, need protection from a highly addictive substance and themselves. I do not want my children to have the freedom to smoke, but that is just my opinion.

[@queenofswords6463]

To be clear, the majority of NZers are very happy with the new government and EXTREMELY happy that the “single platform of truth” is GONE!!! Hardly anyone here smokes now anyway and it’s over $40 for a packet of 20 cigarettes. So the actual statistics speak for themselves.

[@Kapoochii]

No we aren't, mate. It's a coalition of chaos.

[@Isaacskilling]

@@KapoochiiSuper happy with them. Compared to the shit munchers beforehand. Lost my job because of labour. If people want to smoke, then they can smoke. You know how easy it is to grow your own? It’s like grass.

[@tomaskham]

I think people who are quick to judge and jump in on this don't realise that the smoke free laws that have just been over turned in NZ were actually making illegal for people under the age of 36 to smoke cigs. As a non-smoker myself here in NZ, I believe people should have the right to smoke at their own risks if they wished to have a puff. It's not as though people aren't aware it's unhealthy for you to smoke, and that it's encouraged at all. With the labour parties logic on this subject, it should also be illegal to drink alcohol and eat McDonald's then. So lets ban every KFC in the country to anybody aged 35 or less because it causes heart disease 😂 Where do you draw the line? Let people make their own decisions ffs and stop trying to control every last decision there is for a human to make.

[@goldenharborstudios7180]

As an aussie, i am proud of this. Theres freedoms as an adult there isn't a need to stop them from acting on thier freedoms

[@MarkArnoldMusic]

As a kiwi I'm glad that you're an Aussie. People gave a right to smoke in NZ, and no one is taking that right away. However, smoking is something people only do to service an addiction or dependency, despite what they'll tell you. People start smoking because they are pressured by smokers who don't want to acknowledge it services their own addiction but instead indulging a social proclivity. Arderns policy aimed to remove the problematic social/addiction lifecycle over a period of time, meaning people wouldn't pick it up in the first place. It's nothing to do with removing people's freedoms - in fact it's giving young people the agency to say "no" more easily before they get trapped in a self destructive habit.

[@deangelisdata]

Lol classic kiwi response. Making it illegal will only move it to the blackmarket and then you'll have more problems than you started with, which we have seen a few times now in the past. @@MarkArnoldMusic

[@MarkArnoldMusic]

@@deangelisdata again, this is an incredibly shortsighted and myopic view. Smoking isn't illegal. It's being phased out. And it's working. Very few people smoke to exercise a right, they smoke to satiate a habit, even if they don't openly admit it. I understand you're probably just swinging from some political corner rather than thinking critically and rationally. Smoking isn't like weed, which I'm sure is how you're assimilating the "black market" nonsense. The only way black market can thrive if people still have a dependency on it once it's phased out. But phasing it out, as I say, is reducing people's dependency on it. That's the intent.

[@jackjohnson6230]

​@@MarkArnoldMusic if you believe that then you are delusional The black market for tobacco here in Australia is huge and growing everyday wake up and live in the real world

[@MarkArnoldMusic]

@@jackjohnson6230 you misunderstand my point. A black market to thrive, still needs a dependent consumer base like any other market. The point of phasing something out slowly as opposed to an outright banning it is to steadily reduce demand so that a black market has little operational economic value. The regulations , taxes and inconveniences imposed on smoking in NZ have already narrowed the market over time. As I said before, there’s NO incentive to smoke other than satiate an existing dependency. That dependency is developed mostly through social pressure and accessibility - two things the squeeze affects.

[@campbellanderson2100]

What’s he going to do about Jacinda selling NZ to the Chinese?

[@sebenfc1982]

I think it is wrong to ban cigarettes based on the argument that they cause many deaths. If that is the logic, then other things that are harmful to health, such as alcohol or junk food, should also be banned. Maybe in the future, when no one smokes anymore, people will demand to ban alcohol as well. This is a foolish law, and anyone who supports it is very uninformed.

[@apollomemories7399]

Why would people wish to ban alcohol in the future? It's been made for at least 4,000 years that we know of. It's in our DNA.

[@xxczerxx]

​@@apollomemories7399So is smoking....people have been smoking stuff for 1000s of years.

[@DiamondCake2]

You can't ban alcohol coz it's too easy to produce, literally leave some fruit juice lying in a jar and it will ferment into alcohol.

[@sebenfc1982]

@@DiamondCake2 So it seems you wouldn't have a problem banning alcohol too if it was difficult to make?

[@sjustice5254]

They are worried 😦 about cigarettes 🚬 but they were pushing an experimental jab?? What a joke

[@DavidGetling]

Maybe they should also allow the introduction of brothels and opium dens, as the taxes from these would allow even bigger tax cuts.

[@disorganizedorg]

Good idea, but I don't think storefronts are a good idea for those things. They should be legal things that are done in private. Similarly, many places won't allow a bar or adult bookstore (do those still exist?) next to a school for young children.

[@truckerfromreno]

Yeah, you could work in the brothels.

[@adrianlouw2499]

Smoking a cigarette on your lunch break equates to smoking opium after visiting a brothel, is it? Brothel = sex trafficking FYI...therefore smoking cigarettes = sex trafficking.

[@anonymes2884]

I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

[@DarthPerkins]

​@@anonymes2884 Sign me up as well. This guy knows how to get a party started.

[@kungflufighter1184]

Did the bbc just say center right instead of far right to describe a center right party?? 😮

[@user-cc3ij1yg4x]

Smoking shouldn’t be banned lol it should be up to the individual not someone telling you no

[@problemsolver3254]

should there be any regulations

[@willsumnall3499]

Smoking in public places should be illegal. As a lifelong non smoker I had to endure years of passive smoking and clothes stinking of tobacco after a night out. It's a nasty anti social habit and the purveyors of tobacco simply sell addiction.

[@I.____.....__...__]

By that logic, so should drinking bleach and hitting yourself in the head with a hammer until your brains come out. 🙄 In fact, no, it's worse, because when you bash your own head in, you only hurt yourself, but when you smoke, your gd mf smoke goes out and into the lungs of everybody with a hundred meters. So no, you don't get to choose to hurt yourself becasue you're also hurting others. If you want to smoke, go hotbox until you get lung cancer. 😒 If you think you have a right to insert your smoke into my lungs, then I have a right to insert my fist into your brain. 🤷

[@I.____.....__...__]

@@willsumnall3499 So it's okay in private place? Like the home? Where children are trapped with stupid parents? 🤨

[@pizzanation8270]

Should heroin and cocaine be banned or is that up to the individual

[@DivinaeMisericordiae77]

Good on him! If people want to smoke in their own homes let them!

[@dating6016]

Smoking is the government's version of selling crack to the public, so of course its not going to be banned. 🤣

[@bashamuwanga]

I have gone through most comments , but no comment is talking about health. People don't care about the health

[@for111]

What about Amazon's AMK33X?

[@stevie-ray2020]

This reversal of policy will simply mean that NZ will spend way more on their health budget than what those tobacco-taxes will bring in!

[@webapple1]

well they do but its curious why you dont take the same view about say sugar , gambling , alcohol

[@sundiataq]

Should they ban sales of alcohol and ultra-processed foods as well? Sensitizing people to the dangers of smoking is good policy, but an outright ban is probably a step too far, considering people's right to chose their own lifestyles, which includes the consumption of junk food and alcohol which are also major leading causes of poor health and early deaths, and which aren't banned. Road accidents lead to thousands of serious injuries and hundreds of deaths in New Zealand each year. Should we ban cars? Maybe we should make everybody walk around with a helmet all of the time, just to be on the safe side...

[@paul7TM]

Every other person where I live in Yorkshire smokes weed. I don't. But I'm trying to kick alcohol which is just as bad. You watch all the ads for that at Christmas. But what da you do. 🚬

[@petervanbeek752]

Ask your self this, New Zealanders are not even allowed to comment on any articles that are being posted on KZbin by the NZ main stream media and government!! By the way, let every human make his own decisions!!

[@allansmith9374]

Ardern encouraged that, she wanted all Kiwi's to be silenced like in North Korea!!!

[@b.visconti1765]

One or two ok but when All The Comments Are ADVERTISING FOR A PRODUCT IT JUST PISSES PEOPLE OFF!!!

[@gary_rumain_you_peons]

The most annoying thing is that YT refuses to do anything about it. I've been flagging spammers for months and they're still here. When it's so easy for YT to get rid of them it makes you think. Clearly, YT are in on it.

[@adenwellsmith6908]

Amazing that Google's AI can pick up a wiff of any thing to the right extreme left and remove it, but it can't handle spam that's repeatedly posted.

[@mrb.5610]

​@@adenwellsmith6908Agree. Hardly rocket science to delete any post containing ' Amazon XYZ' or whatever it's called.

[@gary_rumain_you_peons]

@@adenwellsmith6908 Like I said, they're got a vested interest in it.

[@adenwellsmith6908]

Exactly. And equally to look at the other posts from these accounts. You can bet they are doing similar. But its also pretty clear that G is ignoring people flagging posts as spam. Interestingly whilst I was writing this I had a call from the Visa Fraud Department. Ho hum. Another example of it going wrong. Very simply the EU, USA and UK etc, should put India on notice. Sort the mess out or phone lines will be cut. It's not exactly hard, when you look at what baiters have been able to achieve. I'm sure India has enough people with the technical ability to stop it. So do you want the trade, or do you want to live off bribes from fraudsters? @@mrb.5610

[@lesliengo8347]

While there are good intentions there are opportunities for people to "slip through the cracks." There is no guarantee the law would work as planned.

[@Insanemonk11]

Thinking it was going to be 100% effective was a little dumb, it would seriously cut down on the health issues, and preventable deaths, think like seat belt laws, and the like. People still drive without them, but deaths from them are cut down, and it's able to be cracked down on, which also helped

[@jimmyriddle50]

@@Insanemonk11 excellent point, strongly agree.

[@spookystorytime2774]

Alcohol deaths will still sit at around 13.5 percent per year for the 16-34 year old But f them as long as we just ban smoking Such good work

[@MrWshaw]

Money is more important than health…

[@paulfamilton8477]

Why do we need the government to say we can or can't smoke, adults are old enough to make up their own minds if they want to smoke

[@food4thort]

How does anyone justify banning cigarettes for those born after 2008, without doing the same for alcohol? I venture to suggest there are far more deaths on roads and family violence (including Health system consequences) caused by alcohol than caused by tobacco.

[@Ratatoothie]

Within 2 minutes there are exactly 100 botted comments about some amazon crap. Wow, Bezos XD

[@blackrock2222]

Yes 😂

[@keaujibaha2594]

Yeah, that’s entirely insane and they are literally going back-and-forth having a conversation

[@tastypymp1287]

This bot propaganda is the secret to Teslas success....

[@peterbarton9856]

It's just another crypto scam. KZbin seems to like them for some reason as they do nothing to stop them.

[@Bob.Jenkins]

Tax Money comes before Health... how refreshing to hear the truth.

[@tasmas1782]

Its cost me $125 for a 50gm pk of smokes wtf

[@lfeb]

Disgusting, I smoke and find this repugnant. Greed is more important than health. Just awful. Smoking is a huge expense and the addiction is like having a chain around your neck, I've been trying to quit for a while now and been happy I've cut it in half. It's a nightmare. These greed monsters want to make a buck off suffering

[@bobthebuilder6553]

should be up to the individual whether they want to smoke or not. Governments needs to stop treating their people like children.

[@MyHandelsMessiah]

Ok well then you can't use any government healthcare. Our tax dollars aren't going to go towards fixing your body after you voluntarily trash it, what utter rubbish 😂

[@ProfessorJayTee]

If the smoking individual won't pay for 100% of all their health care resulting from damage to their health (and they won't), then they're the government's "children" and their dangerous habits need to be controlled externally to lower healthcare costs for the country.

[@holokyttaja5476]

This would be the case if the individual's choice to smoke wouldn't effect and put strain on healthcare services. But it does, and other people have to pay for it. So no, it is not their own choice.

[@signsofplay]

I 💯percent agree!

[@MUHOHAHA]

The same can be said about obese people… so should we force people to go on diets if they weigh above a certain amount? What about alcohol, you want to ban that too?

[@leewilson3839]

If they ban cigarettes they will have to ban fat people since its just as dangerous to healt to be over weight if not more so. My point is the goverment should stay out of our health choices

[@StelBoy2008]

I despise smoking as much as the next guy & think nobody should ever even touch a death stick, but I think a full-on legal ban is stupid. Just stick to *heavily* discouraging it.

[@angelh5762]

You can't please all of the people all of the time.

[@davidbamford1971]

It was a nanny state gone mad rule anyway, so good riddance. If someone has all the information, which they have in spades with tobacco. They decide having accessed the risk that their prepared to take this risk. That's their decision, as long as they are harming no one else, that's their business. Freedom to live as we see fit and not be dictated to is a basic human right Otherwise, we don't live in a free society.

[@richardlove4287]

Less government overreach needed all over the world. People need to take the responsibility for their own lives, not depend on a busybody government that should be there primarily for emptying garbage and keeping the roads up to scratch.

[@goyasolidar]

There are people who still smoke?

[@davidjames3787]

Just out of interest, why would a correspondent in Sydney comment on a story from New Zealand? Does someone in Australia have access to information that someone in London doesn't?

[@tazman8697]

They probably make it up.....Just like politicians do...

[@jackstoker6953]

Surely it a persons choice to smoke or not this is insane

[@Captain.Pugwash]

I couldn't believe it, first time I read it. It's a form of fascism imho

[@anonymes2884]

Surely it a persons choice to take heroin or not this is insane

[@Captain.Pugwash]

@@anonymes2884 many would agree with you.

[@amireallythatgrumpy6508]

It affects others though. People who smoke smell like they've been rolling around in their own poop.

[@Captain.Pugwash]

A victory for lovers of personal liberty everywhere. Down with the nanny state!

[@robertbaldwin5771]

Taxation is theft. Govts knicking money off the people is just plain wrong. Smokes should be cheap - govt theft makes cigarette prices outrageous

[@yvonnelee3880]

The Excise tax on alcohol and tobacco are high. Tax contribution to the welfare budget.

[@amireallythatgrumpy6508]

Smokes should be history. Should not exist AT ALL.

[@wkrx.5dlr]

​@@amireallythatgrumpy6508Cry me a river, anti smoke Nazi

[@carlowingfield7743]

A lot of hot air .

[@That1slywolf]

Laws should not be made about things that are personal choices if you dont want it or don't like it don't use it and leave the people who do like it leave them alone mind your own business its not hard people just need to learn, i hate ciggys would never smoke myself but i think anyone who wants to should be able to as much as they want

[@anonymes2884]

Presumably you feel the same about all recreational drugs ? That would at least be consistent.

[@polka1449]

as long as the nhs doesnt end up paying

[@V01DIORE]

So lets unban cocaine and heroin right? Freedom for the posterity to freely buy harmful substances and become an unnecessary societal ill? At least those have a high with no safer alternatives. There's vaping and nicotine patches.

[@V01DIORE]

@@polka1449 So it's fine to have fentanyl on shop shelves so long as we tax the hell out of it? How would you feel if your family tried the stuff? Your child?

[@queenofswords6463]

@@anonymes2884the labour government were desperate to regulate pot. So they could add chemicals and crap to it and tax the shit out of it. So what’s the difference?

[@FreedomFirst1st]

There's no reason why anyone should smoke, but anyone who is 18 years or older should be allowed to smoke if she or he decides to do so, and her or his decision should be respected. Raising taxes on tobacco is a good policy.

[@Cr-gf3gn]

same fo LSD, mushrooms and ecstacy... non lethal drugs for recreation

[@I.____.....__...__]

Really? So an 18yo teen-parent should be allowed to smoke in their home next to their baby? A 70yo should be able to smoke at a bus-stop and choke everybody around them? 🤨

[@disorganizedorg]

@@Cr-gf3gn Cannabis toxicity is way, way down there too; there is no compelling evidence of a link to lung cancer.

[@freshprince3891]

If you believe its upto the individual what they do or don't do then why is raising taxes a good idea? Thats not upto the individual if they just keep putting prices up on their choices they make.

[@idiotology5568]

@@I.____.....__...__ choke everyone.....get a grip. Your body is radioactive mate, I don't want your cancer producing body anywhere near me.

[@TomNook.]

Just bought some shares in tobacco companies

[@yvonnesmith2115]

Gums Arden policy binned? Smashing.

[@fredsmith2213]

Now we need to reverse the drug laws and regulate all drugs, so it’s sold by licence holders instead of human traffickers…I’ve always found it strange that society would rather dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine be sold by criminals rather than your local chemist…🤷‍♂️oh well …make hay while the sun shines I suppose 🤷‍♂️🥳

[@BadlydrawnBen]

I respectfully disagree one of the main reasons I left my home town 30 years ago was because my friends kept dying or going to prison due to heroin addiction now cocaine and crack are rife in the small market town i live near and kids smoke weed waiting for the school bus if anything we need a real war on drugs starting with the small time dealers and working up to the suppliers

[@bobjames6622]

Just go to Portland to see how well that's working out. Or go to Canada where they've effectively legalised everything. Where they have done that the places rapdily declined into utter shit holes.

[@fredsmith2213]

@@BadlydrawnBen I’m going to assume the heroin and cocaine weren’t legal @ your previous address?. Prohibition is the problem,you can’t stop ppl taking drugs but we as a society can stop all the crime and exploitation tomorrow. Answer me this…if heroin was legal would you start taking it?. To keep drugs illegal is to keep cartels and county lines gangs in power, they rely on ppl with your opinion to stay in power…they need ppl like you,they don’t exist without you. I’m not saying it’s your fault personally,but believe me when I say education & and end to prohibition over fear tactics is the way forward,✌️

[@disorganizedorg]

@@BadlydrawnBen How would your friends have gone to prison if the drugs they were involved with were legal? I would be willing to bet that any who died as a result of the drugs (rather than the black market in which they are trafficked) would be alive today were it not for prohibitory laws that make purity and dosage wildly uncertain. Between the U.S. Civil War (end: 1865) and the passage of the Harrison Narcotic Act (1914) morphine addiction was widespread among was veterans who'd become hooked due to medical use. They walked to the corner pharmacy and bought their morphine (and later, briefly, heroin) over the counter in standardized packaging of known potency. Overdose deaths were rare. The drug laws, not the drugs, are what killed your friends. You dishonor them by seeking more of the same.

[@TasTheWatcher]

@@BadlydrawnBen So, you've seen that drugs are still a problem, despite being criminalised. And criminalising addiction instead of treating it as a medical condition doesn't seem to be working for people. But instead of putting 2 + 2 together, and trying something different that actually works, you want to double-down and defend the system that resulted in your pains, and go even harder?

[@radioweebdx7680]

Of course they will scrap the smoking ban, or they will lose all of that lovely tax money they make out of it.

[@_ArsNova]

>Anime pfp >Can't spell "lose" What a valuable opinion.

[@ghoward562]

Tobacco companies win 🥇 again poor health system takes to recover from greedy tobacco companies

[@boataxe4605]

Damn, I had big plans to become a black market cigarette dealer.

[@jaycc2704]

Tobacco plants are usually no more difficult to grow than many other garden plants so banning isn't going to stop the problem.

[@ObamaoZedong]

They're easy to grow, but very difficult to cure and ferment properly.

[@jaycc2704]

cheers I didn't know@@ObamaoZedong

[@rodden1953]

Tobacco companies have made a large donation to the party more like .

[@Philip-ei8pu]

So what if they did! I'm not being told by Woko haram what I can and can't do.

[@yvonnelee3880]

Sour grapes that freedom and choices are still available. If you want an Totalitarian state, Aghanistan will be your paradise then.

[@Philip-ei8pu]

@@yvonnelee3880 👏👏👏❤️🙂🚬👍

[@Captain.Pugwash]

😅 Kinda funny that their fascist health policy was dropped cuz they discovered that tobacco taxes were propping up the NZ treasury.

[@billcurrie4896]

Too much nanny state everywhere , time politicians started to do what they were elected for, not telling us what they want us to do ,we are their employers not the other way round.

[@Captain.Pugwash]

Can't believe NZ could have such a fascist policy. It's OUR BUSINESS what we put in our bodies. We want to make informed decisions..not this nanny state.. we're all going to die one day and if we choose to smoke, understanding all the risks, it should be up to us. Everything we do is a calculated risk.

[@polka1449]

who pays the lung extraction bill

[@Captain.Pugwash]

@@polka1449 comes from the large sums of money paid in tobacco tax from a life long smoker

[@roseguber3240]

Sunak has just proposed the same policy...

[@Captain.Pugwash]

@@roseguber3240 OK.. why am I not surprised 🙂

[@noizz4]

@@Captain.Pugwashyes, imagine a government directly profits from people's addictions, what stops them encouraging people have more addictions

[@doreennestor5108]

Well done, New Zealand!!

[@muhammadhanif4113]

Banning this and that,but still take money from people. Where is the liberty?

[@TimWrightMe]

Some commonsense returning to NZ, of course auntie is horrified. Good rule of thumb, if auntie is horrified it is a good thing

[@You-Got-Served]

I think you’ll find refined sugar is the leading cause of death & disease worldwide, not smoking.

[@londonmeantime7123]

This is more about government interference in our lives. First cigarettes, because who would oppose that. Then alcohol restrictions, then meat and high fat foods, all controlled through CBDC. People have the ability to make their own choices if given accurate information

[@simplygreen5832]

Personal autonomy requires access to information, pity our own government sees no issue with misinforming the public if it suits their goals. "Safe and effective" lol, funny how cannabinoids and lung tar actually provided some level of protection.

[@gazfisher7391]

How many people in the UK a year die directly of using the drug cannabis ? Is there any rational debate regarding the decriminalisation of this plant ?

[@XSpImmaLion]

So, I kinda still don't get this. Wasn't it already illegal to sell cigarettes to minors in New Zealand? Or this is about a full prohibition for life to people born after 2008? Let me put things this way - there is no way to conciliate this New Zealand ban on smokes with decriminalization of illegal drugs. The war on drugs problem, plus the prohibition era, are just proof enough that the government passing laws to ban adults from buying stuff simply does not work, is not effective, and sometimes even has the reverse effect of making the prospect even more attractive for minors. In both war on drugs and prohibition era bans, the only thing that a government ban caused was creating illegal markets which funds criminals and organized crime operations. This is a fundamental misunderstand on how citizens see government mandated bans, and how the market works in general. Because the problem with those is not whether people will be able to buy it or not, it's addiction. Addiction means guaranteed demand, which means the market will find a way to provide. The market always finds a way to provide. When it's illegal, that means organized crime will provide and enrich themselves with it, which also means no regulation on what is being sold, no government participation, and a harder time with awareness and health campaigns. In fact, a smoke prohibition is a great way for the illegal market to jack the price up, mix other drugs with it, and then start selling stuff that is even more addictive. You can hate the tobacco industry all you want, and I'll give you plenty of extra reasons for that, but today it's just an industry that is heavily regulated. Smoking still kills people, but this industry could be much much worse if it wasn't heavily regulated - which is exactly what a ban on sales will end up causing. You can always find "experts" to give dumbass unqualified opinions based on superficial assumptions, but it's kinda obvious how neither Jacinda's government, no matter how much I personally liked it, nor this BBC piece really thought about the full breadth of consequences on a law like this one. I also dunno if the new government is really looking into this because of the bad consequences, or just wanted to walk back on a proposal of an opposition party, but it always sounded like a bad stance to me anyways. Let me break the hearts of those overly optimistic simpletons - there will be no smoke free generation in the near future. Sorry to hit you in the face with reality like this, but this is just utopic fantasy from people living inside a bubble of privilege, who cannot understand that it's exactly a government ban that will create the ideal situation for the non privileged to exploit and be exploited. And the more you insist on passing boneheaded laws with this fantasy in mind, the less likely it'll be for it to actually happen.

[@simonjefferytaylor]

Prohibition never works

[@ATG848]

It works quite well in Japan, Singapore and South Korea. In the UK, the number of smokers largely decreased as the inconvenience of the indoor smoking ban was introduced. Alcoholism and underage drinking massively increased as a result of the alcohol licensing laws becoming more relaxed. It does work for the most part, if enforced correctly.

[@ATG848]

@@Zigest I'm talking about prohibition.

[@simplygreen5832]

@@ATG848 Which doesn't work

[@ATG848]

@@simplygreen5832 Read my first reply.

[@simplygreen5832]

@@ATG848 Reread Zigest's, and ask Renie Draws about Taiwan, ask some Starcraft players about South Korea. The spoon fed mainstream media wants to convince you these things are effective when they just aren't. Of course they also want to convince you of a lot of things that just aren't true.

[@_ArsNova]

How was it even legal to "ban smoking" in the first place? Everyone knows its unhealthy yes, but adults can decide for themselves what to do. What a bizarre and controlling policy.

[@DiamondCake2]

But they already ban drugs?

[@_ArsNova]

@@DiamondCake2 They ban narcotics. Cigarettes are not a narcotic. How well did prohibition and the war on drugs go anyway? Caffeine is just as addictive yet its legal. The "healthcare" argument is just as silly too. Cigarette taxes pay for the "burden put on healthcare" many times over.

[@thra5herxb12s]

I also have the right to not have those smelly people around me.

[@disorganizedorg]

@@_ArsNova Most of the things that the law deems "narcotics" are not in fact narcotics. Narcotic literally means "sleep inducing" yet amphetamines are "narcotics" by law in many countries.. And they wonder why people don't take them seriously...

[@disorganizedorg]

@@thra5herxb12s Do you? How about Black people? Or people who don't share your religion? A sizable minority of people find cigar and pipe smoke pleasant... is your opinion worth more than theirs?

[@rw1415]

If i want to smoke, i should be able to smoke as much as I like, it's called DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM

[@willsumnall3499]

But what if your "freedom" to smoke impinges on other people's "freedom" to breathe clean air and not risk ill health aswell as not have stinky clothes?

[@rw1415]

@@willsumnall3499 well we have to understand eachother, so up to now regulations 'don't smoke in public areas' worked fine in my opinion

[@willsumnall3499]

I would agree, personally I think getting addicted to any drug is dumb but it seems that people want to do it. I do however believe that taking drugs of any kind should be regulated if it causes harm to others and also taxed to help pay toward any other negative consequences for society in general.

[@rw1415]

@@willsumnall3499 I agree, I think everything should be legal and available at the pharmacy, like alcohol in shops (still a drug, just taxed and legal)

[@kattengat2]

Outlaw cigarettes if they are that lethal. Ridiculously taxing them because they are harmful is a complete sham. It’s legalized stealing. And I don’t smoke. Hypocrites.

[@prechabahnglai103]

If a law that denies a certain group of lawful citizens of a certain rights for all time is allowed to stand (while other groups can enjoy the same rights as they wish). Who will protect us from being revoked other rights and live in tyranny? What stops government from revoking rights from people they don’t like for “undermining public health” reason?

[@dallasfrost1996]

As a New Zealander im happy our new government is keeping freedom alive.

[@elinannestad5320]

idiot.

[@bennybennerson7728]

“I should have the freedom to give anyone cancer whilst lining billionaires pockets with cash.”

[@Kereru]

Well with that flawless logic why don't we just make all drugs legal? While we're at it, why don't we throw off the oppressive age limits too? 10 year olds should have the freedom to be chain smoking alcoholics too.

[@simplygreen5832]

@@bennybennerson7728 "I should be locked in my home and told what to do by nanny government" That's you, that's what you sound like.

[@amireallythatgrumpy6508]

That seems to be the only thing they're keeping alive. What's the point in keeping freedom alive while killing humanity in the process?

[@user-ct6gx7gz1v]

Can we also do something about the packaging, you know those nasty photos. Its very off putting.

[@CentreMetre]

Things should not be outright banned. If thr government really cared they educate and encourage people to stop. Banning people from doing something wont work, remember prohibition? It would just increase crime rate and possibly cause more people to smoke, cos people dont like being told what they can and cant do!

[@darthgorthaur258]

"Health experts have criticised..blah blah blah..." yeah and what about peoples freedoms and choices that they want to make....the "experts" dont care about your freedom...

[@tastypymp1287]

Excellent news!! Great reversal of a draconian and intrusive policy!

[@_ArsNova]

Nuts how many crazies I'm seeing try to justify the hand of government coming down and banning something that has been practiced for millennia because it's "unhealthy". Should the government ban being obese too? Obesity arguably puts an even greater burden on healthcare systems, and it far more common and "normalized" in modern society. This infantile logic can easily be extended to alcohol, caffeine, soft drinks, junk food, etc.

[@amireallythatgrumpy6508]

Draconian is people who smoke in the proximity of others and make them put up with their foul stench.

[@tastypymp1287]

@@amireallythatgrumpy6508 Stop eating that stinky fast food around me.

[@tastypymp1287]

@@amireallythatgrumpy6508 And sort your BO out as well.

[@amireallythatgrumpy6508]

That argument might be relevant if I actually ate fast food. Try again. By the way, people who smoke regularly no longer have a functional sense of smell. @@tastypymp1287

[@XRP747E]

Who got paid off! Must have substantial. It will cost New Zealander lives well into the future. Disgusting.

[@freshprince3891]

If they want to act like they care about our health then why have they never ban homelessness. It should be against the law for any human to be homeless.

[@MrGeordiejon]

Yes 🙂 I quit smoking but I still would like Pubs and social venues to allow smoking - Economy suffered so bad after 2007. I appreciate Roy Castle and the effects of secondary smoking - This still neeeds to be the focus for staff / non smokers - but the ban was a draconian mess for all our pubs and nightlife. I hope the UK can find a step in between

[@thedave7760]

Better ventilation and separate non smoking areas would have sufficed. Amasing how we all fell into line and just accepted the new normal diktat from those experts above.

[@Rjgxxx]

If pubs reintroduced smoking I'd never go into one again. It's an awful and disgusting thing to be around and makes for dirty messy rooms... I don't know why people are so keen it continue.

[@anonymes2884]

Not sure about an outright ban but as a former smoker of 20+ years, i'm all for the pub ban (it made pubs a much more pleasant place to frequent IMO). Even before the ban smokers made up only around 25% of the adult population - why make socialising more smelly, dirty and plain dangerous for everyone in order to cater to a relatively small minority ? People seem to be thinking in terms of the ban "catering to non-smokers" but the truth is, _most_ people in the UK are non-smokers (that's been true since the 70s) and catering to the majority is both how democracy works _and_ good business for pubs and clubs etc.

[@royfontaine5526]

@@thedave7760same sheep-like behaviour exhibited during the plandemic. We’re a nation of obedient plebs.

[@simplygreen5832]

@@anonymes2884 Why cater to ANY minority in our country? Boy I'm glad you're not in charge, those natives are just minority so eff 'em.

[@chucky2316]

What is new zealands immigration policy at the moment are the current govt clamping down on that. Nice too see it all being overturned 😂 love from the uk

[@problemsolver3254]

your country is dying.

[@robertjones8644]

When its our body and pay taxes on it then no one should be able to ban it

[@fbpmuffs5715]

Health experts….give us a break

[@stevie-ray2020]

This reversal of policy will simply mean that NZ will spend way more on their health budget than what those tobacco-taxes will bring in!

[@hgbnkbggj2915]

It does, but that will be a problem for the next elected government, and not the current one. In other words, this is a short-sighted immoral decision based on little more than short term (temporary) financial gain.

[@stephenbermingham6554]

Humans been smoking for 1000s of years..... Eating fats and meats for 1000s of years..... But sugar and processed foods and seed oils for a handful of decades. The latter is the driver of disease not smoking.

[@toughgiraffe5865]

​@@stephenbermingham6554100% people dont understand this shit in the food is a lot worse than cigarettes

[@biffski01]

In the Uk the government gets more than x5 the money from taxes that it spends because of cigs than the “cost” to society of treating those who smoke. You do realise you are not immortal? Extending people's lives means they will be a burden on society long after they are fit for work. So, even if what you said is true (which it isn't) you would still be wrong because of the extra cost of looking after them as they get older. Doctors in the UK are refusing to treat people who smoke. So, they are taking our taxes and not treating us at all (yes, I am speaking from experience on that one).

[@Aloh-od3ef]

That is a lie. Smokers have to pay their taxes. PLUS ADDITIONAL TAX for the cigarettes. Unfortunately smokers contribute more to the health budget than non smokers. Banning cigarettes will simply increase tax for everyone else. 16 years ago the UK Introduced it’s smoking ban. HALF OF ALL SMOKERS QUIT!! Cancer, Asthma, COPD etc have all INCREASED since the smoking ban 😂

[@MsGnor]

Cigarettes smell like broken promises & shattered dreams. Revolting.

[@yvonnelee3880]

So ever smelt an alcoholic breath, revolting. So don't eat chocolate biscuits they will kill you.

[@simplygreen5832]

Still smells better than an infected axe wound where a sausage should be.

[@ringo4419]

Banning cigarettes will only make a black market

[@briantyler689]

the amount of people who have smoke has dropped dramatically. the amount of places where smoking is banned has risen dramatically. Yet the amount of cancers and resperitory illnesses has risen Astronomically. So I would advise so called Health Experts to start looking elsewhere for another scapegoat.

[@Hunting4Data]

Vaping bro. Its also terrible for you and its taken over as the main form of inhaling things not meant to be in your lungs

[@alexsilent5603]

Another win for tobacco lobby.

[@for111]

Another win for Amazon's AMK33X, I think you mean.

[@rafflesiaandfriends]

Yeah, chris luxembourg really likes the 💰🤑💰

[@tastypymp1287]

Another win for freedom.

[@chucky2316]

Lmao 😂 well done NZ

[@elfacisco]

thank god!

[@Hudsonrulez]

You can not outlaw what people want. Prohibition didn't work for weed it won't work for cigs.