Government eyes addiction-free smokes

By MARTIN JOHNSTON health reporter

The Government is looking at forcing down the levels of tar and nicotine in tobacco, possibly to below the addictive level.

Documents obtained by the Herald show the Health Ministry wants to regulate the substances to help wean smokers off what it describes as the "harmful" habit.

About a quarter of the total adult population - and half of Maori women - are smokers.

But the ministry is moving cautiously, partly because of concerns that big cuts could lead to worse health from "compensatory smoking" - people puffing on more cigarettes or sucking harder to get the same nicotine effect.

Public consultation is planned and further scientific advice has been sought.

The documents were obtained under the Official Information Act as the Government unveils other plans to clamp down on alcohol abuse and smoking.

On Sunday, it unveiled its three-year alcohol strategy, which could lead to an increase in beer and wine taxes and a reduction on spirits.

And a planned law change would force restaurants, cafes and bars to keep at least half their public space smokefree. Separate ventilated rooms for smokers would be required, a move that has been dubbed an effective ban in smaller pubs and eating places.

Nicotine - both a stimulant and a tranquilliser - is the substance in tobacco that hooks smokers.

"Smoking tobacco is essentially a means of administering nicotine, just as smoking opium is a means of administering morphine," said a 1942 article in the Lancet medical journal.

Tar, the dry mass of minute particles in tobacco smoke, damages lung tissue and contains carcinogens, including metals and dioxins.

Current regulations force suppliers to state on packets the levels of nicotine, tar and carbon-monoxide their cigarettes produce.

The Smokefree Environments Act already allows regulations to limit or ban harmful substances from tobacco.

The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) urged the Government in 1998 to "gradually reduce tar and nicotine levels."

Its recommendations were not stronger because of a shortage of international scientific evidence.

New Zealand cigarettes yielded up to 1.5mg of nicotine (with an average of 1.2mg) and 16mg of tar (average, 12.9mg), ESR said in a 1998 report.

Australia's permitted levels were 1.5mg of nicotine and 16mg of tar; Belgium's were 1.2mg and 12mg respectively.

The addiction threshold for nicotine is thought to be up to 30 times lower than in cigarettes now available.

While the ministry has considered forcing nicotine under the addiction threshold, it believes this is "at best a long-term option."

"[It] could be seen as 'prohibition' by existing nicotine addicts and raises social and political questions - some smokers would feel they were being forced to be nicotine-free," the ministry advised the cabinet last year.

"The debate will continue ... and the uncertainties identified will no doubt be addressed. The ministry will monitor the debate."

Trish Fraser, the director of Action on Smoking and Health (Ash), said yesterday the group would in principle support cutting nicotine below the addictive level.

But more debate and research was needed, such as on whether the cut should be made overnight or phased in.

John Galligan, a spokesman for British American Tobacco (NZ), agreed more research was needed.

He also said some cigarettes already had low tar and nicotine and consumers could choose these.