20 April 2015

Consultation sought on tobacco control protocol

Public feedback is being sought on whether New Zealand should sign up to an international agreement aimed at getting rid of the illicit trade in tobacco products.

“These illegal products are usually cheaper than legal tobacco, which is taxed. Smokers buying illicit products may be less inclined to quit and non-smokers may be more likely to take up smoking.The illicit trade in tobacco products results in lost government revenue through tax evasion, and can be used to fund other criminal activity,” Associate Health Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga says.

Illicit tobacco can also avoid the requirements on public health warnings and messages around quitting which apply to the legal tobacco trade. This has the potential to undermine our government’s goal of a smokefree New Zealand by 2025.

“Illicit trade is thought to make up only about 2-3 per cent of the tobacco market in New Zealand. However, there is no guarantee it will not become a greater issue for this country in future,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

New Zealand took part in the negotiation of the Protocol to Eliminate the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, under the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and now needs to decide whether to become a party to it.

The Protocol contains a range of measures which include controls on the tobacco supply chain and encouraging international co-operation and collaboration to prevent illicit trade in tobacco.

Feedback obtained through the consultation will assist government with deciding whether New Zealand should become a party to the Protocol.

The consultation document is available on the Ministry of Health’s website:https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/preventative-health-wellness/tobacco-control/who-framework-convention-tobacco-control/illicit-trade-protocol

ends

© Scoop Media