Every now and then when discussing New Zealand’s Smokefree 2025 goal, plain packaging or some other policy measure, the question will come up – ‘well why don’t you just ban it?’
In this Public Health Expert blog, ASPIRE2025 researchers consider some arguments for and against a ban on the production (other than tobacco grown for personal use), importation and sale of tobacco products, whilst not criminalising the use of tobacco. The purpose of such a measure would be to ensure, hasten and sustain the achievement of the goal of close to zero smoking prevalence by 2025.
The blog comes down on the side of intensifying other tobacco control approaches initially but also encouraging a public debate about setting a ‘national quit date’ in a few years time when the tobacco industry would be stopped from selling its lethal and addictive tobacco products.
Author: Richard Edwards
Contributors: Janet Hoek, George Thomson, Anaru Waa and Nick Wilson
For more information, please contact:
Richard Edwards
University of Otago, Wellington
email: richard.edwards@otago.ac.nz