• Full Story

Big tobacco's fight back 'immoral': Greens

Email
Print

Big tobacco's fight back 'immoral': Greens

3News NZ

Rule changes around display of tobacco come into force on Monday (file pic)

Rule changes around display of tobacco come into force on Monday (file pic)

The tobacco industry setting up a website aimed at fighting anti-smoking measures is "disturbing and immoral", the Green Party says.

Ahead of rule changes coming into force on Monday around display of tobacco in shops and possible plain-packaging legislation, tobacco company Philip Morris has set up the website, urging smokers to make their opinions known to politicians and decision makers.

"Philip Morris knows its product kills New Zealanders but is pushing addicts to pressure the government to drop measures which would make it harder to smoke," said Green Party health spokesman Kevin Hague.

"It is immoral for a company that knows its product is lethal to actively urge smokers to soften attempts to save lives.

Tobacco companies spent enough money on lobbying without needing to enlist the people they were killing, he said.

Meanwhile, New Zealand Association of Convenience Stores, of which British American Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco are members, today said the ban was poorly handled and was another cost for shop owners.

Retailers were still left wondering exactly how the regulations would allow them to manage a major product in their shops, said chairman Roger Bull.

More staff time would be taken up getting customers particular brands, he said.

Mr Bull said retailers wanted the government to support businesses instead of forcing more costs on them.

But Otago University health researchers say their survey of Wellington retailers showed most actually support the retail display ban.

The university was unable to supply the survey figures, but said most were "relaxed" about the new rules.

"Some thought the removal of tobacco displays would reduce smoking, and discourage young people from taking up smoking; others did not," said lead researcher Richard Jaine.

Most retailers were either ambivalent about selling tobacco or would rather not sell it, while none expressed positive attitudes towards selling tobacco, he said.

NZN

Post a Comment

Before commenting, please take the time to read our moderation guide


(Won't be published)



Comments

28/07/2012 3:45:21 p.m.

Fair Kiwi wrote:

A full ban on the sale and use of tobacco and a mandatory 10 year jail term with no parole for the cultivation and or sale of drugs in this country must be bought in. These tobacco companies MUST be removed from this country now. Will you please listen to us Keys, we pay your wages. We have had enough of you wanting to sell our country out from under us and poison our children's bodies and minds with stinking drugs.

23/07/2012 10:06:50 p.m.

Grant wrote:

What is disturbing and immoral is the so called green party opening their mouths. I remember them supporting the labour government when clark ordered the use of an insecticide on West Auckland. The Ombudsman estimated 3-4000 people were harmed by the insecticide. Worse still, patents show the insecticide contained a genotoxin. When the green party apologise for their part in this act of genocide and compensate victims then, at that point, they may get some credibility.

22/07/2012 7:05:55 a.m.

alison wrote:

Mike I think you are also missing the point that if smoking is abusive then so is drinking and is this going to be in plain packaging. I think not. It opens a whole kettle of worms the govt is not going to go into. Hence they will leave it to the Maori party to promote this one sided policy. If they are seen to be actively pursuing this then with John Keys private interests in alcohol he is damned if he does and damned if he doesnt. Probably the only time hes quiet, and if he does go ahead its only a short time before the public start to see that any trip down these roads is just more of a nanny state taking away the publics right to do what they wish with there own lives. Im with winston on this. How long before you are dictated on what you must eat and then where will it stop.

21/07/2012 8:55:42 a.m.

Mike wrote:

Winston Peters is already attacking the proposed changes to tabbaco, including increases in taxation.

Wonder if he has some campaign contributions from this source? He has sold to the highest bidder before.

The realitiy is untill people take responsibility for their own actions, we wont fix the smoking problem. We can make it harder for them by raising taxes etc to encourage them to stop.

I dont support the plain packing initiative. If plain packaging is fine, lets see some plain packaging politics - no Red/White/Blue/Yellow/Green/Brown.

I do support increasing smoke free zones. I would like to see it illegal to smoke around children as children need protection from this abusive behaviour. Smoking kills, so we need to stop trying to kill children by smoking around them. This includes dope smoking.

20/07/2012 9:19:48 p.m.

Shaun wrote:

@ Stephen Berry: You're jumping to conclusions. The article doesn't state the reasons why the figures couldn't be supplied immediately. There may've been good reasons for this. You, however, imply that the researchers were deliberately witholding them. That's unjustified. The second part of your statement could easily be rephrased as "cigarettes take tiny parts of your freedom until you reach a stage where you're a slave and can't understand how it happened". These are the effects of sustained consumption.

20/07/2012 7:53:45 p.m.

Stephen Berry wrote:

"The university was unable to supply the survey figures, but said most were "relaxed" about the new rules." That's why they're called the sheeple. The government takes a tiny bit of your freedoms at a time until you get to the stage when you're a serf and can't understand how it happened.