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Illegal Tobacco Crackdown Group Could Make Difference, Criminology Professor Says
Finn Blackwell, Reporter
An Australian criminology professor says a group to crack down on New Zealand's black market tobacco trade could make a difference.
An "action group" of Customs, police, and health officials has been announced, with improved planning and joint operations to fight the illegal trade.
Customs Minister Casey Costello said the government did not want to face the same black market issues as Australia.
Deakin University associate criminology professor Dr James Martin told RNZ the Australian approach had relied on enforcement to suppress the black market.
"This has been really ineffective," he said. "We've got between 50-60 percent of all tobacco and nearly all vaping products in Australia now come from criminal suppliers, and it's generated an absolutely black market.
Roughly AU$7 billion {NZ$8.5b) was spent on illicit nicotine products a year, Martin said.
"That's around 40 percent of entire illicit drug economy, more than cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy and heroin combined."
The Australian government was far too slow to try reduce the illicit market, he said.
"At the same time, it's also made some major mistakes in restricting the availability of legal nicotine products, particularly through taxation of tobacco and a ban on vaping products," Martin said.
He thought New Zealand's action group was a good move.
"The big difference between the Australian and New Zealand markets, for tobacco at least, is scale," he said. "Enforcement has a much greater record of effectiveness in effectively suppressing smaller illicit markets and emerging illicit markets."
Once markets became high volume, with many customers and suppliers, enforcement became ineffective, Martin said.
"I think moves to try and move decisively and quickly on this now is a good idea."
Costello said the public had a role to play and urged them not to engage in the illegal market.
"Buying cheap cigarettes isn't a harmless crime," she said. "Money from the sale of these cigarettes funds gangs and overseas cartels, and leads to violent crime, intimidation, and extortion in our communities."
Martin warned against relying on strategies like educating consumers.
"Most consumers of illicit tobacco would be aware that purchasing illicit products, that feeds into organised crime, but there's a lot of antipathy here in Australia amongst smokers towards the government, because they've been taxed and disregarded in the policymaking process for so long," he said.
RNZ
New Zealand's public broadcaster, providing comprehensive NZ news and current affairs, specialist audio features and documentaries.
Radio New Zealand is a Crown entity established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. Radio New Zealand News are vital elements in our programming, providing impartial news and information to New Zealanders every day. Radio New Zealand (RNZ) provides listeners with exciting and independent radio programmes in accordance with the Radio New Zealand Charter.
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