New Zealand implements plain tobacco packaging

 Plain tobacco packaging has passed its final legislative hurdle tonight.

Deputy Health Minister Sam Lotu-Iiga brought a large pack of cigarettes into the parliamentary debating chamber to showcase what plain packaging might look like.

“This will make a difference,” he said.

“When a cigarette pack comes out of a smoker's pocket or is left lying around on a table, others can see it will just have a dull, ugly background color and large, prominent graphic health warnings.”

Lotu-Iiga stated that no other product is as widely used and poses such direct risks to users. Smoking causes between 4,500 and 5,000 premature deaths each year in New Zealand, he said.

“This bill takes away the last means of promoting tobacco as an ideal product. It stops smoking from being marketed as fashionable, fun, and glamorous.”

“About 13 people die prematurely every day from smoking-related diseases... this is a bill to protect children and young people from being tempted to try cigarettes.”

The legislation passed with a vote of 108 to 13, with opposition from New Zealand First.

New Zealand First health spokesperson Barbara Stewart said there was a consensus across parties about the harm smoking can cause.

However, New Zealand First raised concerns about the lack of evidence proving that plain packaging is effective and the potential unintended consequences, such as increased black market sales.

“We must remember that $1.6 billion in excise tax goes into government coffers every year... there is a clear ulterior motive here, and it is not public health as it should be.”

“We still believe that plain or standardized packaging is effective in reducing tobacco consumption.”

The design of plain packaging is part of New Zealand's goal to be smoke-free by 2025, a key measure of the Māori Party.

Māori Party co-leader Marama Fox referenced her confrontation with Imperial Tobacco spokesperson Dr. Axel Gietz during a TV3 interview in June.

Fox confronted Gietz after the interview, accusing him of “selling death and destruction and suffering.”

Tonight, she said she was a person whose husband, a 40-year smoker, recently died after visiting.

“He came to bring my own wishes to address this country's tobacco control. He said she wanted to try everything... e-cigarettes, patches, cold turkey.”

“She could not overcome her addiction and ultimately died after unsuccessful attempts. Today, I want to remember her.”

Plain tobacco packaging is likely to be implemented early next year.

In May, the government announced draft regulations and consultation documents aimed at standardizing the appearance of cigarette packs.

New Zealand has maintained its stance against tobacco company Philip Morris regarding Australia's plain packaging, following legal challenges from other tobacco-producing countries through the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Australia won its case against Philip Morris in December.

The WTO challenge is ongoing, but the government received advice late last year that it should “hold its ground” as several other countries, including the UK and Ireland, have introduced plain packaging.

These countries have not faced the next WTO challenge.

The excise tax on a pack of 20 cigarettes in New Zealand will significantly increase from about $20 now to around $30 by 2020, as part of the monthly budget announcement.

The tobacco tax will rise by 10% annually, starting January 1, for the next four years.

This is expected to bring in an additional $425 million in tax revenue during this period.

It will affect about 15% of adult New Zealanders who smoke daily - about 550,000 people.

This rate rises to 35% among Māori and 22% among Pacific peoples.

Lotu-Iiga announced a consultation document last month that included a proposal to legalize the sale of e-cigarettes in New Zealand.

Nicotine patches and gum can be purchased, but nicotine e-liquid must be bought from overseas.

Other countries, such as the UK, allow e-cigarette vaporizers to be sold in supermarkets.

Products will not be allowed for use in smoke-free areas, and safety measures, including child-safe containers, will be considered.