Tobacco in New Zealand

The use of tobacco in New Zealand has been subjected to government regulation for a number of decades. On 10 December 2004, New Zealand became the third country in the world to make all indoor workplaces including bars and restaurants smokefree.

Production

Consumption

The number of cigarettes available for consumption, a statistical measure that reflects sales, has generally been decreasing since they peaked at 6.3 billion in 1977 but consumption has remained constant from 2005 through to 2008 at 2.4 billion cigarettes. Over the last 30 years the number of cigarettes that have been available has dropped by 61.5%. The volume of tobacco available for consumption rose to a new high of 904 tonnes and was 83.3 percent higher than the lowest amount recorded in 1985. [cite web|url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/2298E570-72C0-43D1-8F40-9435D701EFC7/0/alcoholandtobaccoavailableforconsumptionyearendeddec07hotp.pdf|title=Alcohol and Tobacco Available for Consumption: Year ended December 2007|date=2008-02-22|publisher=Statistics New Zealand|accessdate=2008-09-17]

Legislation

The first building in the world to have a smoke-free policy was the Old Government Building in Wellington, New Zealand in 1876. This was over concerns about the threat of fire, as it is the second largest wooden building in the world [ [http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/page.aspx?id=44950 Department of Conservation] ] .

The Smoke-free Environments Act 1990 was passed to prevent the effects of passive smoking on other people by restricting cigarette smoking in places such as workplaces and schools. [ [http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1990/0108/latest/DLM223191.html Smoke-free Environments Act 1990] ]

New Zealand passed an amendment to the Smoke-free Environments Act 1990 law on 3 December 2003 (effective in 2004) which covers all indoor public workplaces and inside hospitality venues (pubs, bars, restaurants and casinos). Studies have shown very high levels of compliance with the law. Also the air quality inside hospitality venues is very good compared to similar settings in other countries where smoking is still permitted. In New Zealand, tobacco cannot be sold to anyone under 18. [ [http://www.moh.govt.nz/smokefreelaw Smokefree Law ] ]

Outdoor smoke-free laws cover the grounds of all schools, some council-owned parks (eg, in South Taranaki and Upper Hutt), the grounds of some hospitals, stadiums and one university campus (Massey University). The government has not moved to restrict smoking in cars but has run mass media campaigns that promote smoke-free cars and homes.

The New Zealand governments "National Drug Policy 2007-2012" seeks to reduce the effects of tobacco use by limiting availability, limiting the use of tobacco, and reducing harm from existing tobacco use. [cite book|last=Ministerial Committee on Drug Policy|title=National Drug Policy 2007-2012|publisher=Ministry of Health|location=Wellington|date=March 2007|isbn=978-0-478-30751-1 (Book) ISBN 978-0-478-30752-8 (Internet)|accessdate=2008-09-18]

Lobbying

On 5 September 2007, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) called for the removal of tobacco from sale by 2017. [ [http://www.ash.org.nz/index.php?pa_id=4&news_id=159&expand_section=1 Action on Smoking and Health ] ] The New Zealand Cancer Society is currently seeking to have tobacco products placed out of sight at retail outlets as a measure to reduce the impact of tobacco marketing. This will make it less likely for children to take up smoking. [http://www.cancernz.org.nz/HealthPromotion/TobaccoControl/Campaigns/CigaretteDisplays.aspx The New Zealand Cancer Society] - Cigarette Displays]

ee also

*Health effects of tobacco smoking
*Tobacco company
*Tobacco industry

References

External links

* [http://www.moh.govt.nz/tobacco Ministry of Health] - Tobacco Control and Smoking page
* [http://www.ndp.govt.nz/ National Drug Policy New Zealand]