Press Release Stephen Berry Health

Tyrant Tariana Announces Tobacco Injustice

Tamaki Independent candidate Stephen Berry has attacked Associate Minister of Health Tariana Turia’s announcement of the passing of the Smoke-free Environments (Controls and Enforcement) Amendment Bill. This bill bans the display of tobacco in retail stores and gives Smokefree Enforcement Officers the power to issue instant fines of $1000 to persons found to have sold tobacco to minors.

“A population that accepts this tyrannical law is a population willing to sell their liberty very cheaply, in exchange for the protection of a malevolent Government,” says Mr. Berry, who has recently quit smoking. “More big brother destruction of property rights, more nanny state control of our choices, and the power of judge and jury to enforcers of the law!”

Stephen Berry believes ever increasing restrictions on tobacco are inconsistent with living in a free country. “The approach the Government is taking to deal with tobacco runs parallel to the approach Government usually takes in dealing with other issues. It results in a Government that only gets bigger, only writes more laws and only takes more of our money. Will the state ever accept that enough laws have been written and regulation has worked? Doubtful.”

Of special concern to the candidate is the new power for Smokefree Enforcement Officers to issue instant $1000 fines. While Mr. Berry agrees that tobacco should not be supplied to minors, he finds the methods being employed to combat this disturbing.

“Previously a person accused of supply to a minor had their day in court and was presumed innocent until proven guilty. Now someone who isn’t a police officer has the power to declare a retailer guilty without trial, issue a $1000 fine and require that retailer to go to court to prove their innocence. These are police state methods to make politicians feel good about themselves, without recourse to logic or principles of justice.”

Stephen Berry believes that as long as tobacco isn’t being supplied to minors it is of no business of the state. If elected, he will support abolition of smokefree legislation and remove excise taxes on tobacco in conjunction with the privatisation of the health system.

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