Full report DBSCH_SCR_4900_InquiryintothetobaccoindustryinAote.pdf

Inquiry into the tobacco industry in Aotearoa and the consequences of tobacco use for Māori

Report of the Māori Affairs Committee Forty-ninth Parliament (Hon Tau Henare, Chairperson) November 2010

Presented to the House of Representatives

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Summary of recommendations

The Māori Affairs Committee makes the following recommendations.

Smoke-free New Zealand goal

We recommend to the Government that it aim for tobacco consumption and smoking prevalence to be halved by 2015 across all demographics, followed by a longer-term goal of making New Zealand a smoke-free nation by 2025 (page 10).

Holding the tobacco industry accountable

We strongly believe that innovations in tobacco control should place financial, ethical, and legal pressure primarily on the tobacco industry.

We recommend to the Government that it consider requiring tobacco companies operating in New Zealand to finance the cost of all smoking cessation pharmaceuticals including nicotine replacement therapy products (page 34).

We recommend to the Government that it consider embedding guidelines to Article 5.3 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (intended to protect public policy from tobacco industry influence) in both legislation and policy making (page 31).

We recommend to the Government that it consider initiating a counter-marketing campaign to de-normalise the tobacco industry and tobacco products, to better inform all New Zealanders of past and ongoing industry practices and strategies (page 25).

Reducing the availability of tobacco

We recommend to the Government that it investigate further options for measures to reduce the supply of tobacco into New Zealand, taking into account trade and other implications, with a view to reducing the availability of tobacco in New Zealand over time (page 23).

We recommend to the Government that it consider annually reducing (by a set percentage) the amount of imported tobacco, the number and quantity of tobacco products for sale at each outlet, and the number of retail outlets (page 23).

Plain packaging

We recommend to the Government that the tobacco industry be required to provide tobacco products exclusively in plain packaging, harmonising with the proposed requirement in Australia from 2012 (page 16).

Additives

We recommend to the Government that it be compulsory for tobacco companies to publicly report the elements of their tobacco and smoke by class of product, brand, and brand variant, so consumers and the Ministry of Health know exactly what substances, and in what proportions, cigarettes and loose tobacco contain. The measure should be standardised across the industry (page 26).

We recommend to the Government that the provisions in the Smoke-free Environments Act for regulating additives and nicotine in tobacco be used to reduce the additives and nicotine in tobacco on an annual basis (page 26).

Covert sponsorship

We recommend to the Government that the Smoke-free Environments Act be amended to stop tobacco companies from engaging in covert sponsorship arrangements such as exclusive supplier deals (page 25).

Retailers—Banning displays

We recommend to the Government that all retail displays of tobacco products be prohibited (page 15).

Retailers

We recommend to the Government that the section in the Smoke-Free Environments Act that allows tobacco companies to engage in “normal trade discount or normal trade rebate” (Section 36(4a)) be removed (page 24).

We recommend to the Government that the penalty for selling tobacco to minors be raised to a maximum of at least $10,000 (page 19).

We recommend to the Government that legislation be amended to require those selling tobacco to be 18 years and over (page 19).

We recommend to the Government that the investigative and enforcement powers in the Smoke-free Environments Act be strengthened to allow infringement notices and instant fines to be issued to, and retail bans imposed upon, retailers found breaching the Act (page 20).

We recommend to the Government that it investigate giving local authorities the power to control the number and location of tobacco retailers, to reduce the exposure of children and young people to tobacco (page 20).

We recommend to the Government that legislation be amended to ban the use of the word “tobacco” (and associated terms) in names of retail outlets (page 25).

We recommend to the Government that the Smoke-free Environments Act be extended to legislate against cigarette vending machines (page 29).

Stopping children starting to smoke and helping people quit

In order to make New Zealand auahi kore by 2025, we must work to stall smoking uptake, and support and encourage current smokers to be motivated to quit. All of the previous recommendations will also help achieve this goal.

Smoke-free campaigns—children

We recommend to the Government that research continue to be conducted to ensure that smoke-free campaigns are reaching the correct age demographic, particularly noting that the smoking uptake age amongst Māori (11.4) is lower than the general population (page 28).

We recommend to the Government that anti-smoking campaigns that reinforce the unacceptability, and illegality, of supplying tobacco to children be implemented (page 19).

Smoke-free campaigns—Māori and pregnant women

We recommend to the Government that the success of smoke-free campaigns be recognised, and that it continue to market to groups with high smoking rates, particularly Māori, and pregnant women (page 28).

Smoke-free campaigns—Social media

We recommend to the Government that smoke-free campaigns using newer forms of marketing, such as social media websites, be considered (page 25).

Smoke-free environments

We commend the Government for its decision to ban smoking in prisons from July 1 2010 (page 29).

We recommend to the Government that it further increase support, including financial support, to iwi and communities to promote smoke-free events and activities, and to extend smoke-free environments, to encourage tamariki to remain smoke-free (page 19, 22).

We recommend to the Government that it investigate extending the Smoke-free Environments Act to legislate against smoking in certain areas, such as vehicles, vehicles carrying children, and specific public places (page 29).

Support—Māori and Māori women

We recommend to the Government that it extend the range and reach of services for priority populations, particularly Māori women, as Māori smoking rates are significantly higher than those of the rest of the population. It is therefore essential that effective cessation services designed and delivered by Māori for Māori are made increasingly available (page 37).

We recommend to the Government that the Wai 844 claim lodged with the Waitangi Tribunal, which asks for “funding for Māori health initiatives to eliminate or reduce smoking among Māori” be progressed as soon as practicable (page 19).

Support

We recommend to the Government that nicotine replacement therapies be required to be sold everywhere tobacco is sold, thereby ensuring smokers can choose a safe option whenever they crave nicotine (page 39).

We recommend to the Government that to improve access to nicotine replacement therapies, pharmacists be Quitcard providers (page 39).

We recommend to the Government that PHARMAC be strongly encouraged to subsidise a wider range of effective cessation medications (page 39).

We recommend to the Government that further research into the benefits and risks of alternative tobacco products be conducted (page 40).

We recommend to the Government that it take steps to initiate proactive cessation programmes in all prisons (page 37).

Tax increases

We commend the Government on the enactment of the Excise and Excise-equivalent Duties Table (Tobacco Products) Amendment Act 2010, which has equalised the duties on manufactured cigarettes and roll-your-own cigarettes, and increased the tax on all tobacco products by 10 percent (in the first of three equal cumulative increases) (page 30).

We recommend that the Government legislate for further incremental tax increases over and above the annual adjustment for inflation (page 30).

Updating the tobacco control strategy and structure

We recommend to the Government that a tobacco control strategy and action plan be established, with a strong emphasis on Māori focused outcomes, to ensure that tobacco consumption and smoking prevalence is halved by 2015 in a cost-efficient way. In 2015, the strategy should be revised to work towards making New Zealand smoke-free by 2025 (page 32).

We recommend to the Government that it investigate options for achieving an optimal tobacco control governance and management structure. Consideration should be given to establishing a Tobacco Control Authority with a strong kaupapa Māori approach to strengthen and accelerate New Zealand’s tobacco control to reach the goal of halving tobacco consumption and smoking prevalence by 2015 and cost-efficiently making New Zealand smoke-free by 2025 (page 33).

We recommend to the Government that it consider a funding formula that provides equitable funding to Māori specific programmes and campaigns (page 33).

We recommend to the Government that independent research and evaluation for all Māori programmes and services be funded on an ongoing basis (biennially for significant Māori specific programmes and services) (page 37).

Kaupapa Māori

We recommend to the Government that it include Māori in all tobacco control planning and policy development groups (page 22).

We recommend to the Government that it consider a kaupapa tupeka kore approach as a viable Māori framework for tobacco control interventions (page 22).

We recommend to the Government that it further increase support, including financial support, to iwi and communities to promote smoke-free events and activities, and to extend smoke-free environments, to encourage tamariki to remain smoke-free (page 19, 22).

Dealing with untaxed tobacco

Illicit trade

We recommend to the Government that it increase the monitoring of the illicit trade in both home-grown and imported tobacco products in New Zealand (page 41).

We recommend to the Government that it increase support for the international development of comprehensive systems for detecting smuggled and contraband tobacco products in alignment with Article 15 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

New Zealand authorities might introduce such systems here and work to encourage other countries in the Asia-Pacific region to do likewise (page 41).

Home-grown tobacco

We recommend to the Government that the personal allowance for home-grown tobacco be reduced from 15 kilograms per adult per year—which equates to 40 to 80 cigarettes a day—to a level closer to typical daily personal use (page 42).

Duty-free tobacco

We recommend to the Government that the duty-free allowances in other jurisdictions be investigated with a view to changing that permitted at New Zealand ports of entry, recognising Article 6.2 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (page 42).

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Full report DBSCH_SCR_4900_InquiryintothetobaccoindustryinAote.pdf

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