Reversal of smoking ban criticised as ‘shameful’ for lacking evidence
New Zealand is repealing the world’s first smoking ban passed under former prime minister Jacinda Arden’s government to pave the way for a smoke-free generation amid backlash from researchers and campaigners over its risk to Indigenous people.
The new coalition government led by prime minister Christopher Luxon confirmed the repeal will happen on Tuesday, delivering on one of the actions of his coalition’s ambitious 100-day plan.
The government repeal will be put before parliament as a matter of urgency, enabling it to scrap the law without seeking public comment, in line with previously announced plans.
There is a nonzero population of people, all across the planet, across all cultures, that just don’t like being told they cannot do something.
You could tell them that smoking is very, very bad for you, and they’ll say “wow, no one should do that,” and then you tell them that they cannot smoke, and they’ll say “the fuck I can’t!”
But in this case, it was telling cancer-stick merchants that they can’t kill people, and then their victims rushed to their defense.
Yes, because those people don’t like being told what they can’t do. The thing they can’t do, in this case, is buy cigarettes.
So what? If they were old enough to buy fags before the ban they could still do so. They argue that their children have a right to lung cancer.
They are also told to wear a seatbelt and don’t rail against that.
Some people do, actually. Look, I’m not trying to argue their position for them, I’m not one of those people.