No smoke here no more

[Sail4beer]

New Zealand has decreed a lifetime ban on tobacco and that there will be no more tobacco sales by 2025 to people 14 and under by that date.
 

About time someone stood up for the next generation.

 

[Grrr...]

They sell tobacco to people under 14 in New Zealand? 

 

[bmiller]

So 15 year olds can buy cigs?

Even the US stopped that decades ago.

 

[Sail4beer]

By 2025 , people aged 14 by the time the law will be enacted will never be able to purchase tobacco in NZ

 

[Raptorsailor]

Sounds nice in theory, but if I were a betting man, I would bet most of my money on this failing as it would needlessly criminalise people and give organised crime a HUGE source of revenue and will probably contribute to even more dangerous fags because who the fuck is going to regulate what proper crims' put in their 'marlboro' ciggies. 

I wish New Zealand the best with this endeavour though. 

 

[Mrleft8]

Great idea.....

 Gonna be harder than enforcing "No alcohol" rules though.

If you want to make some serious money, take a risk, and wait a few years. Buy a ship load of shrink wrapped tobacco now. Bring it into EnZed under cover of night (or earthquake, that'll work too), and keep it in a refrigerated underground locker until....

 Then start raking in the cash.

 

[RedTuna]

What about pipe weed?

 

[SloopJonB]

By 2025 , people aged 14 by the time the law will be enacted will never be able to purchase tobacco in NZ

Good smuggling opportunity.

 

[Monkey]

Good on NZ. As a smoker in the US, it’d make quitting so much easier if they just banned this shit. I’ve quit about five times, but it never stuck. 

 

[tybee]

keep quitting until it finally works.

 

[Point Break]

While I am not generally in favor of nanny government deciding personal habits - think prohibition or legislating away red meat…..I have to say this strikes me as a good idea. Since the consequences of smoking is such a huge impact to health care costs it might be worth the intrusion. It does beg the question…..where does government stop when choosing which harmful habits to outlaw?

 

[SloopJonB]

Since the consequences of smoking is such a huge impact to health care costs

What is that impact?

Smoking can give you cancer and kill you prematurely.

How does it cost more if you die prematurely? I would have thought getting very old and dying of various ailments over a number of years would cost a lot more.

 

[DA-WOODY]

Good on NZ. As a smoker in the US, it’d make quitting so much easier if they just banned this shit. I’ve quit about five times, but it never stuck. 

Quitting is for Quitters

Never works

as once they prove they can quit

they Quit Quitting

 

[Point Break]

What is that impact?

Smoking can give you cancer and kill you prematurely.

How does it cost more if you die prematurely? I would have thought getting very old and dying of various ailments over a number of years would cost a lot more.

If you died immediately that might be true. Think emphysema, COPD, cancer….you don’t die quickly or inexpensively. 

 

[Max Rockatansky]

The smart answer to these types of things is legalize and tax the shit out of it - the price will then narrow the field. Sin tax is effective, from what I’ve seen

 

[Ease the sheet.]

If you died immediately that might be true. Think emphysema, COPD, cancer….you don’t die quickly or inexpensively. 

Lung cancer is not a nice disease.

Not that many are.

 

[Sail4beer]

The smart answer to these types of things is legalize and tax the shit out of it - the price will then narrow the field. Sin tax is effective, from what I’ve seen

Started smoking when they were 75 cents. I quit smoking when the price hit $2. Quit cold Turkey. I was working in promotional marketing for our client Phillip Morris at the time and had a garage full of cigarettes to distribute at bars and nightclubs. Now they are $10 a pack with most of it tax today cover smoker’s futures health care (yeah right) and people still buy their daily pack of death nails. 

 

[IStream]

While I am not generally in favor of nanny government deciding personal habits - think prohibition or legislating away red meat…..I have to say this strikes me as a good idea. Since the consequences of smoking is such a huge impact to health care costs it might be worth the intrusion. It does beg the question…..where does government stop when choosing which harmful habits to outlaw?

It stops where the voters tell it to stop. "Government" is us, at least in a democracy. Or a reasonable facsimile thereof.

 

[jdazey]

keep quitting until it finally works.

I started smoking in boot camp. Got out of the service still smoking despite countless attempts to quit.  Got a GF who wouldn't have anything to do with smokers. If I wanted to get laid, I had to quit. Haven't smoked since.