Aotearoa: 14 y/o & under will never be able to buy tobacco, for life

[Balbi]

Smokefree 2025: 14-year-olds will be banned from smoking under new law

The headline is bad, 14 year olds cannot buy tobacco legally, but the actual legislation proposal is interesting.

Big move to try and cut smoking off at the source here. They're introducing an age cohorting law meaning if you're 14 and under when it comes in, you will never be able to buy tobacco legally in stores. Those above the bracket will only be able to buy low nicotine smokes, and they're restricting who can sell them.

I can imagine big tobacco and their lobby group friends are going to shit their pants about this

 

[platinumsage]

They should do this with alcohol, I’m sure that would go down well.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Banning stuff that's addictive is always a foolproof strategy.

 

[Ax^]

hmm will they have to do a little pledge

cause we tried this in ireland around 100 ago with beer


ponders if they give out like 2025 pioneer pins

 

[moochedit]

14 year olds can't buy cannabis legally either. That'll stop 'em

 

[Balbi]

Looks like it'll be a step increase, so each year the age raises so eventually 30 year olds won't be able to buy smokes. Itś set at 14 because they'll be 18 when we hit 2025, meaning that there'll be no legal way for them to buy smokes for the rest of their lives.

It'll massively impact the market and availability, collapsing the demand at the younger age bands, and importing cigarettes illegally will be an interesting challenge given our pretty isolated position.

 

[WouldBe]

Looks like it'll be a step increase, so each year the age raises so eventually 30 year olds won't be able to buy smokes. Itś set at 14 because they'll be 18 when we hit 2025, meaning that there'll be no legal way for them to buy smokes for the rest of their lives.

It'll massively impact the market and availability, collapsing the demand at the younger age bands, and importing cigarettes illegally will be an interesting challenge given our pretty isolated position.

Round here they just get someone older to buy them. Then there's always fake IDs.

 

[Balbi]

Restricting sales of cigarettes to certain stores, and enforcing low nicotine smokes as well - it's basically admitting that raising taxes on them doesn't work but deciding to big government the industry out of business.

 

[Clair De Lune]

Looks like us old fucks will be dealing roll ups on street corners before long.

 

[moochedit]

Looks like it'll be a step increase, so each year the age raises so eventually 30 year olds won't be able to buy smokes. Itś set at 14 because they'll be 18 when we hit 2025, meaning that there'll be no legal way for them to buy smokes for the rest of their lives.

It'll massively impact the market and availability, collapsing the demand at the younger age bands, and importing cigarettes illegally will be an interesting challenge given our pretty isolated position.

What country are you in?

 

[Balbi]

It's in the title, Aotearoa.

 

[moochedit]

It's in the title, Aotearoa.

* goes off to google *

 

[moochedit]

Telling a 14 year old "this is something you can never have! It's for older people only!" will certainly make them think "i'm never smoking"

 

[nogojones]

Restricting sales of cigarettes to certain stores, and enforcing low nicotine smokes as well - it's basically admitting that raising taxes on them doesn't work but deciding to big government the industry out of business.

Is there much of a market for rolling tobacco down there? Or will this be banned with the advent of low nicotine fags?

Also what's the score with vapes? Is this a blunt nudge to move people over to safer ROI's?

 

[killer b]

Be interested to see how this goes, although it seems a bit unwieldy - just ban the sale of fags, free nicotine replacement therapies to anyone who needs them. I'm unconvinced most smoker's addiction to cigarettes would see any but the smallest % turning to a criminal source for their fags - most would just stop if there isn't a convenient and legal source.

 

[Pickman's model]

Looks like it'll be a step increase, so each year the age raises so eventually 30 year olds won't be able to buy smokes. Itś set at 14 because they'll be 18 when we hit 2025, meaning that there'll be no legal way for them to buy smokes for the rest of their lives.

It'll massively impact the market and availability, collapsing the demand at the younger age bands, and importing cigarettes illegally will be an interesting challenge given our pretty isolated position.

Tell me, is there any cocaine in aotearoa?

 

[treefrog]

Tell me, is there any cocaine in aotearoa?

Very little, and it's about $500 a gram.

 

[treefrog]

Be interested to see how this goes, although it seems a bit unwieldy - just ban the sale of fags, free nicotine replacement therapies to anyone who needs them. I'm unconvinced most smoker's addiction to cigarettes would see any but the smallest % turning to a criminal source for their fags - most would just stop if there isn't a convenient and legal source.

Previous governments made a big thing of "smokefree 2025" back when that was a long way off. Now of course it's not far away at all and this is the strategy they've thrown out. Some corner shops are no longer selling cigarettes because of the rise in armed robberies involving them (a 20 deck is like $35).

 

[killer b]

I've no idea what a 20 deck is in the UK now tbf, but it can't be far off that too

 

[nogojones]

Be interested to see how this goes, although it seems a bit unwieldy - just ban the sale of fags, free nicotine replacement therapies to anyone who needs them. I'm unconvinced most smoker's addiction to cigarettes would see any but the smallest % turning to a criminal source for their fags - most would just stop if there isn't a convenient and legal source.

I don't know. 50% of the people I know who still smoke rollies are buying illicit tobacco.

With free NRT this might cover a good proportion of those, but I guess its a balance between a greater harm being done to a smaller proportion of people and a lesser to a larger group. It'll be a few years before the results are clear, but yeah, interesting to see.

 

[killer b]

I don't know. 50% of the people I know who still smoke rollies are buying illicit tobacco.

Sure, but I don't think that's the same as buying & smoking illicit tobacco when it's actually illegal to buy or smoke it - the source may be a little dodgy but the practice is legal, and if they run out of illicit tobacco they can go and get a pouch from the corner shop to tide them over til they next see their dealer.

I've no doubt it would drive a small number of people to criminal activities, but the health benefits to those who stop (and future generations who never start) would be huge.

 

[Flavour]

as I am not in favor of prohibition of other drugs I don't really see why I should be in favor of prohibition of tobacco, filthy disgusting shite though it is

 

[killer b]

as I am not in favor of prohibition of other drugs I don't really see why I should be in favor of prohibition of tobacco, filthy disgusting shite though it is

I'm happy to take a case by case approach to prohibition tbh. Not all drugs are equal.

 

[Flavour]

Subjective though innit

 

[DownwardDog]

Be interested to see how this goes, although it seems a bit unwieldy - just ban the sale of fags, free nicotine replacement therapies to anyone who needs them. I'm unconvinced most smoker's addiction to cigarettes would see any but the smallest % turning to a criminal source for their fags - most would just stop if there isn't a convenient and legal source.

Some people are going to smoke no matter what but this doesn't have to be 100.00% effective to still be a good idea. I hope Australia does the same.

 

[nogojones]

as I am not in favor of prohibition of other drugs I don't really see why I should be in favor of prohibition of tobacco, filthy disgusting shite though it is

It's not quite prohibition though. I think it's more about driving safer methods of consumption. I presume you'll still be able to inhale as much nicotine as you like via vape or other ROI's?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I don't know. 50% of the people I know who still smoke rollies are buying illicit tobacco.

But we can just nip over to Belgium, buy loads and be back in time for tea. Aotearoa is a little more remote...

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Some people are going to smoke no matter what but this doesn't have to be 100.00% effective to still be a good idea. I hope Australia does the same.

How much is a pack of 20 in Oz these days?

In the UK it is between £10 and £14.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

The idea that because some people still take illegal drugs therefore banning something has no effect is quite popular on the drugs forum but it's obviously nonsense isn't it. Obviously lots of people take cocaine or whatever but more people would take more of it if you could pop down your local corner shop and buy a gram of guaranteed quality coke. People were swearing the mephedrone ban would make no difference but then availability and use dropped off a cliff when it kicked in.

 

[nogojones]

But we can just nip over to Belgium, buy loads and be back in time for tea. Aotearoa is a little more remote...

From the look of a lot of the tobacco I'm seeing I think a lot of the current UK illicit market is counterfeit. I guess brexit and covid might have made fag runs a little bit more challenging, but even without it, there would be good money to be made from floor sweepings and cut tobacco.