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World
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| Smoking ban spurs new selling tactics for tobacco firms14 September 2004 13 9 Source »»»Simon Chapman, a professor in public health at Sydney University and editor of the British Medical Journal's Tobacco Control, congratulated New Zealand on beating Australia in banning smoking in workplaces, but warned it must be vigilant against the response from tobacco companies. The Smoke-free Environments (Enhanced Protection) Amendment Act bans smoking from all workplaces, including pubs, clubs and casinos from December 10. Professor Chapman, a keynote speaker at the National Smokefree Conference in Wellington yesterday, said tobacco companies were worried that the ban would set an example that larger countries could follow. "They know that if people can't smoke at work, on public transport, or in bars that smoking becomes denormalised. Pubs are like the last bastion of smoking." The tobacco industry was finding new ways to fight back and promote cigarettes to their target market - young people - despite a ban on advertising, he said. Tactics being used by cigarette companies in Australia included glamorous fashion parade parties that were really promotional events; employing attractive young people to sell cigarettes in bars and offering free gifts with purchases. Prime Minister Helen Clark, who opened the conference, told about 200 delegates that their efforts had helped lower smoking rates from a third of the population a decade ago to one-quarter today. However, progress had stalled in recent years as younger smokers replaced adults who quit. The new legislation would be a leap forward that would save an estimated 100 lives a year.
By KELLY ANDREW
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