February 11, 2009 2:40 PM
- Text
Tiny Island Considers National Tobacco Ban
(AP)
Health officials want to make the tiny South Pacific island of Niue the first country in the world to be fully smoke-free by banning tobacco.
A bill proposing to ban smoking and the sale of tobacco in all public areas and private homes has been drafted and presented to lawmakers, Dr. Sitaleki Finau, Niue's top public health official, said Tuesday.
The government has not yet signed up to the plan, and Finau conceded it could face stiff opposition from tobacco companies and other commercial interests.
But health officials were urging legislators to be bold and impose the bans.
"Small countries are allowed to be ambitious," Finau told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "If a small country can do this, then big countries will start thinking. Imagine what that means."
Niue, a lone island measuring just 100 square miles about 1,500 miles northeast of New Zealand, has about 250 smokers among its 1,300 population, Finau said.
The costs of treating the effects of their habit is putting a heavy strain on the tiny country's health budget, he said.
Banning smoking would see government revenue from tobacco taxes drop, but officials estimate any losses would be more than offset by savings in the health budget, Finau said, without giving figures.
Like many countries, Niue has already banned smoking in government offices and other public buildings to fight health risks associated with second-hand smoke, and the proposed bans would go further.
One village, Tuapa, has already declared itself smoke free. There are no sales of tobacco and villagers don't smoke in public or at ceremonial occasions.
Finau said the plan was being opposed by the makers of tobacco products and some other commercial interests, and the government would also have to consider whether smokers' rights were being trampled.
"There has been mixed reaction," Finau said. "It's one of those difficult political issues because there are commercial interests against it, and the government has to look at in relation to taxation."
"A tobacco-free country sounds pretty straightforward and simple but there are some complex issues involved," he said.
No date has been set to begin debating the bill, and a vote could be two years away, he said.
Niue Health Minister Veve Jacobsen was not able to be contacted Tuesday.
A bill proposing to ban smoking and the sale of tobacco in all public areas and private homes has been drafted and presented to lawmakers, Dr. Sitaleki Finau, Niue's top public health official, said Tuesday.
The government has not yet signed up to the plan, and Finau conceded it could face stiff opposition from tobacco companies and other commercial interests.
But health officials were urging legislators to be bold and impose the bans.
"Small countries are allowed to be ambitious," Finau told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "If a small country can do this, then big countries will start thinking. Imagine what that means."
Niue, a lone island measuring just 100 square miles about 1,500 miles northeast of New Zealand, has about 250 smokers among its 1,300 population, Finau said.
The costs of treating the effects of their habit is putting a heavy strain on the tiny country's health budget, he said.
Banning smoking would see government revenue from tobacco taxes drop, but officials estimate any losses would be more than offset by savings in the health budget, Finau said, without giving figures.
Like many countries, Niue has already banned smoking in government offices and other public buildings to fight health risks associated with second-hand smoke, and the proposed bans would go further.
One village, Tuapa, has already declared itself smoke free. There are no sales of tobacco and villagers don't smoke in public or at ceremonial occasions.
Finau said the plan was being opposed by the makers of tobacco products and some other commercial interests, and the government would also have to consider whether smokers' rights were being trampled.
"There has been mixed reaction," Finau said. "It's one of those difficult political issues because there are commercial interests against it, and the government has to look at in relation to taxation."
"A tobacco-free country sounds pretty straightforward and simple but there are some complex issues involved," he said.
No date has been set to begin debating the bill, and a vote could be two years away, he said.
Niue Health Minister Veve Jacobsen was not able to be contacted Tuesday.
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