Welcome to the Smokefree Coalition website

The Smokefree Coalition is committed to preventing the uptake of smoking among young people and reducing the smoking rates of all New Zealanders. Established in 1995, we encourage debate about tobacco control issues. The Smokefree Coalition provides a collective voice for our members – twenty-three organisations including the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation, Cancer Society and National Heart Foundation.
 

From the Director's Desk 20 August 2008

Former ASH NZ Director, Becky Freeman, used to say you know when you have hurt the tobacco industry by the screams emitted. Well, I think we've passed the scream test.

I have been advised that former BAT PR man, Carrick Graham, has put in Official Information Act requests regarding most (if not all) tobacco control contracts between New Zealand NGOs and the Ministry of Health.

I am not surprised! The tobacco industry has taken quite a few hits due to its own stupidity when addressing the "Out of sight – out of mind" campaign. So now they are fighting back.

The next step may well be someone (maybe a tobacco industry friendly MP) launching an attack on the largesse of the Government in doling out money to the "anti-cigarette" brigade. Brace yourself for the attack.

However, the industry is literally fighting a losing battle. No one likes it anymore. Ordinary mums, dads and grandparents are demanding their kids be protected from smoking images. There is a real possibility that the generational link between cigarettes and smoking will be broken. The tobacco industry hates and fears this as it needs kids to see smoking as a normal or cool activity so they can be enslaved to cigarette addiction.

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