Prohibition doesn’t work

Newshub reports:

Health experts are labelling the new Government’s plans to scrap smokefree legislation “vile” and “devastating”.

The tobacco industry brings in nearly $2 billion a year in tax revenue.

And incoming Finance Minister Nicola Willis has admitted that scrapping smokefree legislation will help fund tax cuts.

New Zealand’s smoke-free laws are heading to the tip.

This is typical alarmist bullshit.

The smokefree laws that we have had for 20+ years are not being repealed. What is being repealed is the daft new law passed a few months ago that basically prohibits tobacco sales over time.

It baffles me that the very same people who argue cannabis should be legalised (which I agree with) think prohibition will work for tobacco. It won’t.

Already the high tax levels of tobacco tax has seen the black market flourish. This latest law change would have turbo-charged that. Prohibition is a failed policy.

The law change being repealed was mainly going to result in tax from sales of cigarettes going to the Mongrel Mob, instead of the Crown.