[Intl-tobacco] NZ: Tobacco companies 'the problem, not smokers'

[robert weissman]

Tobacco companies 'the problem, not smokers'
07 October 2005
By KELLY ANDREW

New Zealand needs to put the heat on tobacco companies, including taking
them to court to recover the health costs of treating smokers, two
public health researchers say.

George Thomson and Nick Wilson, from the Wellington School of Medicine,
studied tobacco control policies overseas and found countries that
targeted tobacco companies as the problem, rather than smokers, were the
most successful.

Their report, published in today's New Zealand Medical Journal, says if
New Zealand could reduce smoking rates to the levels in Canada or
California, hospital stays and premature deaths would be cut by
thousands. Measures used in Canada include large pictorial health
warnings on cigarette packets, advertising restrictions, and legal
action against the tobacco industry.

Since 1997 British Columbia's provincial government has taken tobacco
companies to court to recover the costs of healthcare for smokers who
get sick.

Its tobacco control strategy has been credited with cutting smoking
prevalence from 22 per cent to 15 per cent in seven years.

New Zealand smoking rates are about 24 per cent, and have remained
almost static for 14 years.

Dr Thomson said New Zealand's new government needed a "mind shift" on
tobacco control. It should consider holding inquiries into the industry,
taking legal action and running mass-media campaigns targeting the
industry, its marketing and behaviour.

"The association overseas between policies that erode industry power and
better tobacco control outcomes suggests such policies need to be
considered in New Zealand," he said.

These measures should be combined with existing efforts, including high
prices for cigarettes, quit-smoking programmes, education and smokefree
environments.

During the past 20 years less than $250 million has been spent on
tobacco control in New Zealand, less than 2.5 per cent of tobacco tax
revenue collected in that time.