New Zealand to ban young people from being able to buy cigar

[neverfstop]

This seems pretty great- I am always so impressed with NZ and their policies.

www.cnbc.com/2021/12/09/new-zealand-to-ban-young-people-from-ever-being-able-to-buy-cigarettes.html


The measures will mean that anyone born after 2008 will not be able to purchase cigarettes or tobacco products in their lifetime, while the level of nicotine in cigarettes available to older people will be reduced.



The number of retailers able to sell cigarettes could also be cut substantially, officials said. The legislation is expected to be enacted next year.



Health officials and campaign groups have welcomed the move, recognizing the proposed reforms as one of the world’s toughest crackdowns on the tobacco industry.



New Zealand already requires plain packaging and has high taxes on cigarettes, but the health ministry says more action is required if it is to reach the goal of making the country smoke-free.

[sonrisa]

It's interesting to contrast this with other countries that are loosening restrictions on smoking marijuana.

[neverfstop]

Dec 9, 2021 12:28:20 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

It's interesting to contrast this with other countries that are loosening restrictions on smoking marijuana.

I'd be curious to see how many people are doing both or simply switching from marijuana, and also how many people are enjoying marijuana/THC/cannabis in some other form besides smoking it.

[scribellesam]

Is tobacco/cigarettes thought to be more dangerous than drinking alcohol? Seems to me like both should be banned if one is - alcohol is addictive, can be dangerous and also increases cancer risks. Or is the difference that the secondhand smoke can affect nonusers in a way alcohol doesn’t?

[laladypoet]

ok.

[sonrisa]

Dec 9, 2021 15:48:54 GMT -5 jennyparnassus said:

Dec 9, 2021 12:28:20 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

It's interesting to contrast this with other countries that are loosening restrictions on smoking marijuana.

You can enjoy cannabis without smoking it. 

And you can enjoy tobacco without smoking it either. I think it's gross, but people do.

I just find the trends toward legalizing some things (marijuana, psychoactive drugs via prescription) v stasis on others (alcohol) v cracking down on tobacco to be interesting. I'm not pro tobacco, and I generally think legalizing marijuana is fine. So it's my own differing standards that I'm looking at. 

[laurack]

Dec 9, 2021 14:45:33 GMT -5 scribellesam said:

Is tobacco/cigarettes thought to be more dangerous than drinking alcohol? Seems to me like both should be banned if one is - alcohol is addictive, can be dangerous and also increases cancer risks. Or is the difference that the secondhand smoke can affect nonusers in a way alcohol doesn’t?

Most people who smoke I would think smoke regularly throughout the day, generally every day of the week (obviously there are exceptions I just mean in general). Whereas generally only people who are alcoholics would be drinking throughout the day on a daily basis.

[scribellesam]

Dec 9, 2021 16:00:41 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

Dec 9, 2021 15:48:54 GMT -5 jennyparnassus said:

You can enjoy cannabis without smoking it. 

And you can enjoy tobacco without smoking it either. I think it's gross, but people do.

I just find the trends toward legalizing some things (marijuana, psychoactive drugs via perception) v stasis on others (alcohol) v cracking down on tobacco to be interesting. I'm not pro tobacco, and I generally think legalizing marijuana is fine. So it's my own differing standards that I'm looking at. 

I agree, it’s interesting how marijuana and tobacco have flipped in terms of public perception over the last 50-100 years. I understand that the health implications of using either are more widely known now. I find it odd that if the main reasons to be pro-cannabis and anti-tobacco are health-related, that alcohol (another common addictive substance that is also known to raise cancer risks) is rarely part of the same conversation. (I am a regular drinker, so this isn’t from a place of judgment.)

[goldengirlz]

The potential health benefits of cannabis, particularly CBD, is an emerging area of research. Loosening restrictions also disproportionately benefits people of color, who’ve been the primary targets of anti-marijuana enforcement.

The opposite is true for tobacco. There are well recognized health risks, and someone also mentioned the secondhand smoke issue. Lower-income individuals and people of color are also disproportionately targeted by tobacco advertising.

Alcohol (wine in particular) has cultural significance, at least in my religion. It’s a food product and, used responsibly, can even be heart-healthy.

But overall, I’m in favor of less regulation that targets individuals, rather than more (unless we’re talking about DUIs or other irresponsible behavior.) Go after the tobacco companies and the retailers, fine. But we don’t need any more wars on drugs just for consumption in the privacy of one’s home.

[womet]

Dec 9, 2021 14:45:33 GMT -5 scribellesam said:

Is tobacco/cigarettes thought to be more dangerous than drinking alcohol? Seems to me like both should be banned if one is - alcohol is addictive, can be dangerous and also increases cancer risks. Or is the difference that the secondhand smoke can affect nonusers in a way alcohol doesn’t?

Yes. Cigarettes kill 50% of users. The same cannot be said of alcohol.

[loira]

Plus I'm pretty sure NZ has some form of universal healthcare. It makes sense to restrict where you can things that are going to put an overwhelming strain on a publicly funded health system. I'd love to see Canada do something similar with cigarettes.

[lilafowler]

Has prohibition (of substances) ever worked?

[wanderingback]

From a public health perspective alcohol also does cause a lot of morbidity and mortality. From a philosophical perspective it’s always interesting to see how people view substances and morals.
It’ll be interesting to see how this improves the health of the country!

[bimbi284]

Dec 10, 2021 7:41:55 GMT -5 lilafowler said:

Has prohibition (of substances) ever worked?

Absofuckinglutely not.