New Zealand scraps world-first smoking ‘generation ban’ to fund tax cuts
GuardianNOV 2023
New Zealand Reverses Course on Tobacco Ban
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The Spin
Narrative A
It's good news that New Zealand's government has repealed its intended ban. It is likely that the ban would have disproportionately affected the country's indigenous population. A ban would also provide a major incentive for smugglers to import cigarettes. A better way is to increase efforts to educate cigarette smokers about the possible health benefits of switching to safer alternatives, as well as provide more access to smoking cessation services for the Maori minority.
Narrative B
The evidence is clear — smoking is a massive driver of death in New Zealand and the Western world. The former government of Jacinda Ardern acknowledged this in her proposed legislation to protect future generations. The new coalition administration has repealed the prohibition and will announce other steps to reduce smoking that won't be as effective. It will be hard to come up with something as effective as a ban.