Government steps up the tobacco pressure

One in four New Zealanders smokes and Associate Health Minister Damien O'Connor wants to see this reduced to one in five.

In a speech yesterday to the national smokefree conference in Wellington, Mr O'Connor said the Government was spending nearly $30 million on tobacco control. Five years ago the sum was $12 million.

Over the past 10 years, the prevalence of smoking had dropped by more than 30 per cent, with a more measured decrease over the past five years.

One in four New Zealanders smoked, which compared favourably with many countries.

But Mr O'Connor said his goal was to see the number of people smoking decrease to around 20 per cent in the next few years.

"This would put New Zealand on a par with the lowest rates of smoking among developed countries."

He also hoped smoke-free legislation would change attitudes.

A select committee is considering legislative amendments that will ban smoking in restaurants, bars and casinos except in designated smoking areas.

Mr O'Connor said limiting the places it was acceptable to smoke sent a strong message that it was not a normal part of life in New Zealand.

As well as improving passive smokers' health, it would change attitudes to the point where smoking was "no longer chic but, instead, rather sad".

The minister said a survey of Maori women who had given up showed their reasons included reluctance to go outside for a cigarette.

"This shows how insisting on a smoke-free indoor environment can have real health gains even for smokers."

About 31 per cent of Maori deaths could be attributed to tobacco use.

Maori had benefited from mainstream tobacco-control programmes, but not to the same extent as non-Maori, Mr O'Connor said.

The Government spent $515,000 each year on advocacy and information for Maori - almost twice that for the rest of the population.

Another $425,000 was spent on smoking cessation training and co-ordination for Maori.

The Quitline smoking cessation programme had Maori as a priority group, used Maori advisers and directed advertising at Maori.

New Zealand subsidised nicotine replacement therapies and an independent research group was assessing the quit rate and programme results for 2000 people for the Government.

- NZPA

Further reading:
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