Key measures in New Zealand's 'Smokefree 2025' draft legislation

In June 2022, the New Zealand Government introduced the Smokefree 2025 Bill to Parliament, which aims to end the tobacco epidemic by 2025. If passed, New Zealand will have by far the most comprehensive tobacco control policy in history. It will also be the first country to achieve a tobacco-free generation.

This bill is based around three essential provisions:

• Denicotinization of smoked tobacco products;
• Significant reductions in the number of places where tobacco products are sold;
• A generation without tobacco.

This strategic combination of measures is expected to achieve the Smokefree 2025 goal. By removing nicotine from tobacco products and limiting the number of stores that can sell these products, smoking prevalence is likely to decline rapidly; this bill will help prevent a resurgence in smoking and an increase in smoking prevalence. The Smokefree 2025 goal is to reduce smoking prevalence to 5% or less and to move toward a prevalence close to 0.

THE project is currently under consultation until 24 August and the ASPIRE 2025 Centre at the University of Otago in Wellington has prepared a paper supporting the measures in the proposed legislation. The following points were highlighted by the researchers.

The measures currently in place in New Zealand (taxes, smoke-free places, plain packaging, etc.) have made it possible to considerably reduce consumption, but inequalities remain that require additional measures. smoking rate The current smoking rate for New Zealand adults is 10.7 % in 2020/21, down from 16.6 % in 2014/15 and 18.4 % in 2011/12. In contrast, the current smoking rate for Māori is 25.7 % in 2020/21, down from 38.2 % in 2015/15 and 40.3 % in 2011/12. Māori women bear the highest burden of smoking in New Zealand, at 25.8 %.

 

Reduce nicotine in tobacco products to minimal levels

1. Making tobacco non-addictive should help increase efforts to quit and reduce tobacco use

Because tobacco companies have designed tobacco products that are highly addictive, it is very difficult to quit smoking. By making tobacco products non-addictive (also known as very low nicotine cigarettes or VLNCs), quitting smoking should be easier. Research shows that when smokers fail to reach their nicotine levels, they lose the desire to smoke and quit or switch to other nicotine products. This also means that young people who experiment with tobacco are at a lower risk of becoming addicted to tobacco.

Modelling studies suggest that making tobacco non-addictive should lead to a significant reduction in smoking prevalence across the population very quickly. The authors also point out that this measure should significantly reduce health inequalities, particularly for Māori.

2. People don't compensate by smoking more

Research also shows that when people who smoke use very low nicotine cigarettes, they cannot get a satisfactory amount of nicotine no matter how much they smoke. As noted above, people who participate in these trials most often reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke or lose interest in smoking altogether and quit or switch to other products.

3. The action plan recognizes that some people may not be able to stop using nicotine

Action areas 2 and 3 of the action plan recognise the importance of supporting people who smoke, particularly those from priority populations. These sections propose to “signall support for people who want to quit smoking” and provide “comprehensive support” and “more personalised support”.

People will still be able to access nicotine from other sources, particularly validated nicotine replacement treatments (patches, gum and lozenges) but also vaping products.

4. The threat of a serious development of illicit trade in tobacco products by the tobacco industry has not been established

The extent of the black market in tobacco products is inherently difficult to know with any precision, although recent estimates suggest that 5-7% of tobacco consumption is illicit tobacco products. What is known, however, is that estimates provided by tobacco manufacturers overstate the size and impact of the illicit trade. Furthermore, the Action Plan that outlines the measures contained in the Bill indicates that the Government intends to increase monitoring of the illicit tobacco trade. A project (led by the University of Auckland) is also underway to estimate the size and impact of the illicit trade in Aotearoa independently of manufacturers.

The Tobacco Action Plan recognises that the most appropriate response to the illicit tobacco trade is robust monitoring and enforcement of supply chain control arrangements. New Zealand has recently announced plans to increase funding for border controls. New Zealand's geographical isolation and border security arrangements enable it to minimise illicit trade in tobacco products.

In addition, the measures outlined in the Bill will reduce the demand for tobacco products; as smoking prevalence declines, the tobacco market will shrink - the fewer the number of smokers, the less attractive the black market tobacco trade will be. Rather than viewing the threat of illicit trade as an obstacle to reducing the number of retail outlets, reducing smoking prevalence to minimal levels will also reduce the threat of illicit trade.

 

Reduce the availability of tobacco

5. Reducing the number of outlets should help people quit smoking and reduce tobacco use among young people

Tobacco companies have developed extensive distribution networks - between 6,000 and 8,000 supermarkets, petrol stations and convenience stores in New Zealand now sell tobacco products. As a result, cigarettes and tobacco are readily available in most places where people live and work. By making tobacco so accessible, tobacco companies have promoted their products as ordinary consumer items. Limiting the number of tobacco outlets will help reduce the number of young people who start smoking, help people who are trying to quit to succeed, and help prevent relapse. Having fewer tobacco outlets may also help reduce disparities in smoking prevalence, as these outlets are concentrated in areas of high deprivation.

6. The removal of tobacco will reduce the risks faced by small retailers and allow them to stock more profitable items.

- Helping retailers transition from tobacco to new products would allow them to reallocate space used for tobacco products to more profitable products. Since margins on tobacco products are relatively lower compared to other products (around 9 %), replacing tobacco with other items could increase store profitability.

- New Zealand research found that tobacco products account for only a small proportion of overall sales for most small retailers (about 14 % on average) and that most tobacco sales are single-item transactions. These studies do not support claims that tobacco sales increase footfall and lead to the sale of higher-margin products. These findings are supported by research from the UK and the US.

- Smoking prevalence is declining and tobacco consumption has decreased significantly in recent years; these trends are likely to continue, leading retailers to adapt to this decline in sales.

 

Tobacco-free generation

7. Achieving a tobacco-free generation will reduce future tobacco use and should maintain low tobacco prevalence.ageism

The Tobacco-Free Generation measure is intended to minimise smoking among future generations and is a reminder that tobacco is not a normal consumer product but a highly toxic substance that harms young people in particular.

Modelling studies show that introducing a tobacco-free generation should help reduce disparities in smoking prevalence and the health inequalities that result from them. While these inequalities need to be addressed now, through policies such as the introduction of very low nicotine products and retail reductions, achieving a tobacco-free generation will help ensure that these inequalities do not recur in the future.

8. Most users start smoking when they are young and unable to make informed choices.

Tobacco companies have spent millions to persuade the public that smoking is a choice. However, teenagers cannot make truly informed choices; young adults who start smoking also do not make informed choices, because they often start smoking when they are drinking alcohol or when they are under peer pressure. Very few young people understand the risk or likelihood of addiction until they become addicted and cannot stop smoking.

9. The Tobacco Free Generation policy is protective, not restrictive

The new provisions in the bill will introduce a tobacco-free generation policy by banning the sale of smoked tobacco and nicotine products to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009. Currently, only two cities – Balanga City in the Philippines and Brookline, Massachusetts – have adopted such a policy. Malaysia is considering doing so for everyone born after 2005.

Once addicted, users lose their freedom and many are never able to stop. One participant in one study said: Whether it is the government that takes this action or you are addicted to cigarettes, you have no choice in either case. "This participant, who struggled with the burden of addiction, supported the introduction of a tobacco-free generation policy because it would protect current and future generations of young people from addiction, preventable diseases and premature death.

The tobacco-free generation measure is expected to prevent thousands of young people from becoming addicted to tobacco. It could close the supply of "replacement smokers" that tobacco companies need to remain profitable and would prevent a resurgence in consumption and a further rise in prevalence.

The Tobacco Free Generation proposal recognizes that young people cannot safely engage in certain activities, such as driving or purchasing alcohol for consumption. There is already an age limit for purchasing tobacco; the Tobacco Free Generation proposal recognizes that there is never a safe age for tobacco use, as it is an inherently toxic product. It is recommended that young people be involved in the adoption of this measure to promote understanding and explore the most appropriate implementation process.

 

Other points

10. Achieving the 2025 tobacco-free goal should free people from the burden of addiction

More than 80% of New Zealand smokers regret starting smoking; most want to quit and more than half have tried to quit in the past year. Research with smokers has shown that they lose control of their time because they have to plan when they can smoke.

11. Support for the measures outlined in the bill comes from various studies

The research evidence for the Action Plan measures supports their effectiveness. This evidence comes from intervention studies (e.g. trials where people who smoke were given low-nicotine cigarettes and tobacco), modelling studies, studies of perceived impact and public support (including assessment of support from people who smoke), and in-depth studies with people who might be affected by different policies. The estimated impact is found to be substantial with strong public support and anticipated quitting among smokers.

These policies have not yet been implemented at the national level. These are unprecedented public health measures that need to be implemented. Just as Australia was the first to implement plain packaging (a policy that has now been adopted by many countries), the current draft legislation in New Zealand would be the first to implement these new measures in a coordinated manner. As a result, New Zealand is not currently in a position to share the results.

  Paper prepared by Janet Hoek with advice from Richard Edwards, ASPIRE 2025 Centre, University of Otago, Wellington. Adaptation and translation National Committee against Smoking  

Keywords: New Zealand, tobacco-free generation, endgame, bill, denicotinization, youth, smoking, smokefree 2025

©Generation Without Tobacco

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Sources supporting the measures in the bill: Denicotinization Removing the nicotine from tobacco: The key component of the current Smokefree Bill. Available : https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/removing-the-nicotine-from-tobacco-the-key-component-of-the-current-smokefree-bill/ A Smokefree Aotearoa – could taking the nicotine out of smoked tobacco products help us get there? Available : https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/a-smokefree-aotearoa-could-taking-the-nicotine-out-of-smoked-tobacco-products-help-us-get-there/ Reducing nicotine in smoked tobacco products: A pivotal feature of the proposals for achieving Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Available: https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/reducing-nicotine-in-smoked-tobacco-products-a-pivotal-feature-of-the-proposals-for-achieving-smokefree-aotearoa-2025/ Retail sales reduction Reducing tobacco retail availability: how could this be achieved and what evidence supports the NZ Government's proposals? Available : https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/reducing-tobacco-retail-availability-how-could-this-be-achieved-and-what-evidence-supports-the-nz-governments-proposals/ Reducing tobacco retail availability: counterarguments to industry claims Available: https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/reducing-tobacco-retail-availability-counterarguments-to-industry-claims/ Tobacco-free generation The Smokefree Generation: A core measure in New Zealand's endgame strategy. Available : https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/the-smokefree-generation-a-core-measure-in-new-zealands-endgame-strategy/ Phasing out smoking: The Tobacco-Free Generation policy Available: https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/phasing-out-smoking-the-tobacco-free-generation-policy/ Social inequalities A Smokefree Aotearoa Action Plan: Why this could eliminate smoking disparities for Māori. Available : https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/a-smokefree-aotearoa-action-plan-why-this-could-eliminate-smoking-disparities-for-maori/ Illicit trade Illicit tobacco trade and the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Goal: Arguments and Evidence Available: https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/illicit-tobacco-trade-and-the-smokefree-aotearoa-2025-goal-arguments-and-evidence/ National Committee Against Smoking |