Media release: Government can respond to illicit tobacco without falling for tobacco industry tactics, say experts

With recent media reports suggesting illicit tobacco may be on the rise in Aotearoa New Zealand, public health experts say the Government can learn from Australia’s response to the illegal trade.

However, they also warn that the threat of an illicit market is a common tactic used by the tobacco industry, and the response to illicit tobacco must not be at the expense of sound tobacco control policy.

In the latest Public Health Communication Centre Briefing, Prof Coral Gartner, Assoc Prof Andrew Waa and co-authors outline Australia’s response to illicit tobacco and identify lessons for policymakers here.

“Australia’s initial response to concerns about increasing illicit tobacco trade was slow, which allowed the market to become established within retail outlets,” said Prof Gartner, an international expert in tobacco control policy at the University of Queensland.

“However, this is now changing, and the measures Australia’s federal and state governments have put in place, along with further expert recommendations, can form a solid basis for the Government’s response.” 

Australian authorities have established a cross-sector taskforce to address the illicit market, increasing powers for tobacco control enforcement officers to investigate and seize illicit products, focussing on rapid enforcement as a deterrent, such as on-the-spot fines as opposed to prolonged prosecutions.  Landlords can also now terminate leases where people are suspected of selling illicit tobacco on their property.

“A rapid and coordinated response from our government now can stop illicit tobacco from becoming entrenched in Aotearoa New Zealand,” said Assoc Prof Andrew Waa of Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, Pōneke (University of Otago, Wellington).

However, the authors warn that the threat of the illicit tobacco trade is commonly used by the tobacco industry to argue for weakened restrictions and to lobby for lowering tobacco taxation.

“Our government must not fall for common tobacco industry tactics and the necessary response to illicit tobacco cannot come at the expense of sound tobacco control policies. All tobacco is harmful to people’s health,” said Waa.

The authors say concerns about illicit tobacco was one of the arguments used by the current Aotearoa New Zealand Government to justify its repeal of world-leading ‘tobacco endgame’ legislation, likely influenced by industry.

The Briefing urges the Government to keep following the Australian experience with the illicit tobacco market and tobacco controls, while committing to international agreements to eliminate illicit trade and limit industry influence over tobacco policy.