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Tobacco Spin Doctor Appointment a Mockery of Smokfree Goal
30 April 2013
Action on Smoking and Health
(ASH)
Tobacco Spin Doctor Appointment a Mockery of Government Smokefree Goal says ASH
Action on
Smoking and Health (ASH) says news that Philip Morris New
Zealand’s corporate affairs manager Chris Bishop has been
appointed as a political advisor damages commitment to a
smokefree country.
The tobacco industry spin
doctor is to be installed in the office of Hon Steven
Joyce.
Mr Bishop told TV One’s Q+A that the aim of a smokefree New Zealand by 2025 was "unrealistic" given around 20% of the population smoke at present.
In 2011 the
Government committed to making New Zealand an “essentially
a smokefree nation by 2025”.
“This appointment
is an insult to the thousands who die every year from
tobacco. International agreements dictate that government
needs to be free from the influence of tobacco industry
lobbying, not invite the tobacco industry into the heart of
Government. This appointment damages the health of the
country, and its reputation as a global leader in tobacco
control,” said ASH director Ben
Youdan.
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