Have I missed something?

[Oldfellah]

The government want New Zealand to be smoke free by 2025 (good luck with that) Im a non smoker so cant comment on what all the smokers are going to do or when smoking tourists get off the boat/plane to come visit, are they going to be told sorry you cant smoke here? So what is to happen? I agree that smoking is a health hazard and clogs our health system up and on the other hand I think that putting the price of smokes up over the past several years has contributed to our crime rate, so its a damned if you do and a damned if you dont huh?

[Lilith7]

The government want New Zealand to be smoke free by 2025 (good luck with that) Im a non smoker so cant comment on what all the smokers are going to do or when smoking tourists get off the boat/plane to come visit, are they going to be told sorry you cant smoke here? So what is to happen? I agree that smoking is a health hazard and clogs our health system up and on the other hand I think that putting the price of smokes up over the past several years has contributed to our crime rate, so its a damned if you do and a damned if you dont huh?

I wondered about that too - if tourists aren't allowed to smoke here then some will just stay away which won't do the tourism industry much good. I think the Chinese still smoke & we have quite a lot of tourists from China.

Ending smoking is a good move which will benefit us all, but we may need to be aware that it could have effects we haven't considered properly.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

I think we should make the import and supply of smoking products illegal. And yes there will be a black market. Too bad, throw those smuggling miscreants in jail and toss away the key. To cater for the tourist and the unrepentent addict (as an ex addict I have no sympathy) dedicated smokers facilities should be made available, with an entry fee - user pays through the nose - supervised by trained staff who can advise on giving up...

[Lilith7]

I think we should make the import and supply of smoking products illegal. And yes there will be a black market. Too bad, throw those smuggling miscreants in jail and toss away the key. To cater for the tourist and the unrepentent addict (as an ex addict I have no sympathy) dedicated smokers facilities should be made available, with an entry fee - user pays through the nose - supervised by trained staff who can advise on giving up...

I'm an ex addict too but I can sympathise with those still caught up in it. Help, rather than punishment works better I think. 


Although....we have got rather a lot of pot holes around the country which need fixing, perhaps they could help with those as a penalty??!


Oddly enough I was thinking earlier about various penalties we supposedly civilised countries have imposed at various times during history. In particular ripping people away from everyone they knew & loved, & sending them to the other side of the world to survive as best they could because they'd stolen a loaf of bread to feed their families. 
But probably hanging children was one of the worst.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

We don't allow people to shit in the streets, they do on some countries. We don't allow people to catch and eat our wildlife, they do in some countries. Or to buy and sell child brides or small boys... Etc etc etc...

So while my post was slightly in jest I think the point is, some habits tolerated elsewhere are not necessarily transferable. We know smoking kills. We know it is a pernicious habit supported by companies who seek to exploit their customers with one and only one aim in mind - profit.

We should not be conspiring with those companies to either profit ourselves - though extortionate taxation - or through quietly consenting to that continued exploitation by not making smoking  or vaping, or another man made invention that circumvents common sense totally and completely illegal.

If we are determined to  be smokefree, let us be more honest about it. Set a date and make the habit and all it involves illegal from that date. To do otherwise is simply whitewashing...

[Olive]

I think we should make the import and supply of smoking products illegal. And yes there will be a black market. Too bad, throw those smuggling miscreants in jail and toss away the key. To cater for the tourist and the unrepentent addict (as an ex addict I have no sympathy) dedicated smokers facilities should be made available, with an entry fee - user pays through the nose - supervised by trained staff who can advise on giving up...

Ex-smoker here, and I agree.   I remember when some airports had a dedicated smoking room, hidden away in a corner and so disgusting that even when I was a smoker I couldn't bear to go in.   It actually helped me to give up as it showed me that my addiction was not insurmountable.   The smoking rooms were unstaffed back then, but a modern version with a door charge could be staffed by well paid airport employees wearing gas masks.

[Lilith7]

I think more help to give up is the answer - that & more education on the consequences of smoking. And also vaping.

I think sooner or later China will move to restrict or ban smoking, probably heavy handedly & I'm betting they'll then have a black market in tobacco & a whole new group of people who'll then be criminals.

We're a weird species...