Source: Radio New Zealand
New Zealand cited for sabotaging Indigenous tobacco-free aspirations and having alarming vaping rates among young people. 123rf.com
Researchers say New Zealand is attracting international attention for all the wrong reasons following it being awarded the ‘Dirty Ashtray’ award.
The ‘Dirty Ashtray’ was given to New Zealand at the biennial meeting of Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in Geneva, Switzerland.
The ‘Dirty Ashtray’ is awarded each year at the Conference of the Parties meeting following a review of international progress and consideration of each country’s performance.
New Zealand’s citation is “for trying to portray their current tobacco control plan as a success when in reality since COP10 they’ve reversed world-leading reforms, sabotaged Indigenous tobacco-free aspirations, have alarming vaping rates among young people and have plummeted from 2nd to 53rd on the global index for tobacco industry interference.
New Zealand’s legislative reversal is being used by tobacco industry interests globally to push bad policy.”
Co-Director of the ASPIRE Aotearoa Research Centre Professor Janet Hoek said New Zealand was once a leader in global tobacco control policy.
“Now, our national shame is playing out on an international stage.”
Last week New Zealand also fell from second to 53rd in the global Tobacco Industry Interference Index.
“Last week the Cancer Society’s Tobacco Industry Interference Index marked a cataclysmic decline for Aotearoa New Zealand. The ‘Dirty Ashtray’ award reinforces the Cancer Society’s conclusions,” Hoek said.
Dr Mary Assunta, Head of Global Research and Advocacy at Global Centre for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC) and principal author of the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index said if the country had implemented the measures the coalition Government repealed, “large, rapid and equitable declines in smoking prevalence were predicted.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
