Snapshot: Smoke-free Environments (Control and Enforcement) Amendment Bill

The Smoke-free Environments (Control and Enforcement) Amendment Bill was passed into law with a majority of 117 votes in support during its third reading.
The following is a summary of the final text of the Bill. Briefly, tobacco retail displays will be completely out of sight within a 12-month period.
The Smoke-free Environments (Control and Enforcement) Amendment Bill includes:
• Tobacco retail displays will be completely prohibited 12 months after royal assent. Some retailers will have a two-year transition period and regulations will be made to govern who this exemption will apply to.
• 'Covert' tobacco sponsorship of events (e.g. fashion and music shows) including exclusive distribution agreements with tobacco brands will be banned.
• Sales controls will be extended to the internet. Internet sellers must not show images of packs or brands, must have the mandatory health warnings and comply with the same rules about retailer names not being permitted to promote tobacco names.
• Smokefree Enforcement Officers will be able to issue instant infringement fines to those selling tobacco products to people under the age of 18. Penalties for selling tobacco products to minors will increase from $2000 to $5000 for an individual and up to $10,000 for a business.
• The Bill now includes herbal smoking products, not just tobacco.

Find detailed information on Parliament's website.
Read Hon Tariana Turia's speech in the House.

The case for removing tobacco retail displays

Tobacco companies have a problem. Adults rarely start smoking. Tobacco companies rely on children taking up smoking to keep their profits rolling in. Almost all new smokers are under 18, and the average age people start to smoke in New Zealand is 14 years of age. Nearly a quarter (23%) of youth smokers start before they turn 10. These young people are what the tobacco industry calls its "replacement smokers", replacing the nearly 5,000 smokers who die each year form tobacco related illnesses. We need to protect our children from tobacco marketing so that our children don’t get dragged into the vicious cycle of smoking.