Common sense.

Just recognising the reality. An outright ban was ridiculous in that it was never going to work, not to mention the infringement of civil rights. There is a less here for our minister for justice and her proposed “hate speech” legislation.

I can see both sides of the argument, but if you’ve witnessed someone dying of lung cancer from smoking, there’s no argument.

Another politician Following the Money and working hard for the 1 percent

If people these days, with the overwhelming evidence of the dangers of smoking (printed right in the packaging by the manufacturers, need a law to prevent them from smoking- there may very well be no hope.

So he wants people to get cancer?

Mixed feelings, fee country, do what you want, but the smoking bad had a tangible positive effect in Ireland and other European countries, the number of smokers have massively reduced in a generation. As a parent, i wouldn’r want my kids to be hooked up in this stuff. This can one the door to many philosophical complaints, such as the “extra revenue” the sale of tobacco will bring vs the money spent in treating smoke related diseases, in Ireland the HSE spends more than twice the money than the revenue it receives. You can also make an argument that universal healthcare is supposed to be there to prevent and treat people, not to enable their bad habits. If I have a healthy lifestyle, why do my taxes have to pay for your smoking habit treatment? This could work in the US where everyone is for themselves, but not here or in NZ.

All we hear is the anti smoking brigade, if everyone stopped smoking today, be it through choice or law, the impact on tax revenue would be immediate, the impact on health benefits wouldn’t be felt for a few years.
How would they replace that lost tax? The workers would pay more without a doubt, anti smoking brigade would soon want people to start again

Wouldn’t have worked anyway, just creating a huge market for criminal gangs

I have been a smoker and drinker, since around the age of eight or so, I am now over sixty-five, I know I haven’t been in great health for most of my life, I have many times given up one or the other, or both on many occasions, for days, weeks, months, even years at a time, my health never really improved by a great amount when I was off, either, I have gone on drinking binges, and then will give it a break for a while, I have changed my brand of cigarettes, on numerous occasions, rolled my own, smoked a pipe, cigars, drank all sorts of beers spirits, cocktails, drank in more pups, disco’s, than most, close to, if not more than a thousands, I have met many people, in these places, had some wonderful times, I don’t drink or smoke, because I need to, or have to, I never ( unlike many), go out with the intention of getting drunk,/plastered, I do/did it because I enjoy both, for ninety percent of drinkers and smokers, we do both, in my experience, alcohol, is a far greater issue health wise, than cigarettes, I don’t cough any where near as bad if I just smoke, I don’t have the same pains and aches, if I don’t drink, ( in particular stomach issues), I firmly believe, we are looking at the wrong offender, and ignoring, the serious harm, of alcohol, and for that matter, fizzy drinks, like coke, known for ruining teeth, and we will have far greater issues with obesity, and a bigger strain on our health, system, with overweight people, needing extra, staff, equipment etc.
Back when I began smoking, and drinking in my teens, it was cool to indulge in both, Pubs, and disco’s were packed, many bartenders, to cater for the crowds, pubs, got full for the last hour in the evening, disco’s were the thing later, many pubs had entertainment, pool, tables, darts, domino’s , card games, singalongs, and many gave out free snacks, a fun place to hang out, that’s all gone now, many pubs, only having one member of staff serving,( on-site, and that in my mind should be illegal, in all businesses, there should all-ways be at least two).
Since Fina Gael has come to office, the cost of everything has more than doubled, They are only encouraging, people to buy, from the black market, take trips out of the country to buy cheaper, many built their own, little bars in the back yard, during the pandemic, and rarely go to pubs, as they are far to expensive now. I and many around, spent tens of thousands over the years, giving many employment, from waiters/waitress, drink, servers, do we even have a tobacco, industry here now?. We have lost, many of our attractions, we once had at our beaches, Killiney, Bray, just an example, what the hell, and who allowed this to all happen, people are angry, they have had enough of this government, and their disrespect for it’s citizens.

I’d imagine the tobacco industry was terrified that this ban would take place. It would have been a first and could have proved that this is a feasible thing to do l, potentially leading other countries to follow. There must have been some serious tobacco industry lobbying taking place in the background. Would be interested in hearing that story…

Straight-up ban causes an instant Black market, nothing gained and everything lost.

Hate being around smokers, aside from the second hand smoke health issues they make you stink alongside them.

Then don’t hang around them.

Looks NZ has had enough of lefty lunacy

What a day to give up the Fags!

All schools should bring kids onto lung cancer wards or have yet to pass victims of Tobacco companies go to the schools.
Lost our father at 49

If someone wants to smoke or ingest substances in their own private residence then there should be no law prohibiting this. Please stop trying to legislate every bit of our lives. Well done NZ.