Smoke-free laws in New Zealand are popular and well enforced
New Zealand, which has among the world’s strongest tobacco control policies, first passed countrywide legislation in 1990 to restrict smoking in locations such as workplaces and schools.
In December 2004, a comprehensive smoke-free law came into effect. It significantly strengthened the existing law, expanding it to cover all indoor workplaces, including hospitality venues (pubs, bars, restaurants and casinos), with no exemptions for designated smoking rooms.
Because an intensive educational campaign encouraged many of New Zealand’s smokers to select the day the law went into effect as their quit date, there was a sharp upswing in demand for smoking cessation services in the period immediately afterwards. There were substantial increases in the number of calls to the national smokers’ quit line and a 20% increase in the number of people receiving government subsidized nicotine replacement therapy.
The smoke-free law has been well accepted by the public, with support steadily strengthening since its introduction. In 2004, 61% of New Zealanders approved of the ban on smoking in bars, pubs and nightclubs, increasing to 74% in 2005 and 82% in 2006. Support for the smoking ban in bars also increased significantly among smokers, from 29% in 2004 to 64% in 2006. Nearly 90% of people surveyed in 2006 supported the smoking ban in restaurants, as did 75% of smokers.
Studies have shown very high levels of compliance with the smoke-free law. The number of people reporting exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke in the workplace declined from 21% in 2004 to 8% in 2006, and bar patrons’ exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke has dropped by about 90%. Legal action by health authorities for violations of the law has been rare, with fewer than 10 prosecutions. Contrary to warnings from opponents that the law would have serious economic effects on the hospitality industry, there has been no decrease in bar patronage or revenues
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