September 2009

                                                  

    5000 cigarette deaths a year and no reduction in cigarettes sold

   

 After the smokefree bars law was passed in 2003, the Labour-led government, sensing the public was objecting to the “nanny state”, did nothing further to control smoking (for example by raising the price of cigarettes.) The result is a “ninny state” that fails to protect health.

 

No decrease observed in five years.

 

At this rate young people will still be smoking a 100 years from now.

Source: www. statistics.govt.nz

1 g smoking tobacco = 2 cigarettes.

 

 

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The tragedy  

 

·        Cigarette smoking kills 5000 NZers annually. 653,000 (21% of) adults smoke (2006 Census) - with a 1 in 2 risk of dying early (13 years early on average). www.endsmoking.org.nz/cigarettesmokingrisks.htm

 

What we need to understand:

 

·        Smoking kills, nicotine addicts.

·         Cigarettes are far more dangerous than any other tobacco, due to the inhaled smoke.

·        Nicotine products without smoke (the electronic cigarette, Nicotine gum, lozenge, patch and inhaler, are at least 100 times safer.)

 

    The trend  -  Is it getting better?   No.

 

 

·        Smoking is only slowly reducing: – 100 years may be needed to phase out cigarette deaths. http://www.endsmoking.org.nz/smokingprojections.htm

·         2003-2008: No reduction in cigarettes released per adult.

·        Why so slow? Without government action to raise price, nothing much happens.

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A law ending cigarette sales can save 4000 lives and $22 billion annually

 Dr Murray Laugesen QSO chair; Prof Ross McCormick, Sir John Scott KBE, Trish Fraser MPH, Dr Marewa Glover, Trustees

Making it easier to quit smoking for good © 2009 End Smoking NZ