[arista]

[New Zealand's new government says
it plans to scrap the nation's
world-leading smoking ban to fund tax cuts.

The legislation, introduced under
the previous Jacinda Ardern-led government,
would have banned cigarette sales next
year to anyone born after 2008.
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths
in New Zealand, and the policy had aimed
to stop young generations from picking up the habit.

Health experts have strongly criticised the
sudden reversal.

"We are appalled and disgusted... this is an
incredibly retrograde step on world-leading,
absolutely excellent health measures,"
said Prof Richard Edwards,
a tobacco control researcher and public
health expert at the University of Otago.]


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-67540190


Sign Of The Times

[user104658]

Keep the smoking ban, quadruple the tax on alcohol. People love their booze and will pay through the nose for it. TBH I can't quite understand why every country isn't whacking tax after tax on alcohol. Gold mine and completely opt-in.

[Alf]

Great news!

[bots]

when you ban anything that is in high demand, it just moves to the black market. You would think they would have learnt that by now