New Zealand-style laws to eradicate tobacco would be a game changer in closing the gap between the life expectancy of Indigenous and white Australians, experts say
New Zealand government has introduced legislation designed to make tobacco products non-addictive and prohibit the sale of cigarettes to future generations.
“We are talking about a significant opportunity for change,” said ANU researcher Raglan Maddox. “If we are talking about closing the gap, eliminating or reducing as far as possible tobacco use is a massive step in the right direction.” The research team, which includes Maddox and University of Melbourne’s Professor Tony Blakely, concluded that the New Zealand legislation would reduce smoking rates to below 5 per cent within three years of coming into effect.
An estimated 31.8 per cent of Maori people and 11.8 per cent of non-Maori New Zealanders smoke daily. In Australia, the latest available figures show that 43.1 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people smoked daily in 2018-19, compared with 15 per cent of adult Australians. Smoking is the leading cause of death among Indigenous Australians.
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