The proposed smoking law is draconian and will probably backfire.
It includes the banning of smoking indoors and in certain outdoor areas, as well as making it mandatory to sell cigarettes in plain packaging. Point-of-sale advertising will be banned.
It is not too dissimilar to antismoking laws in most developed countries worldwide but is more stringent than in most emerging economies. And what is the point of having this regulation if it can’t be policed effectively?
I am a vehement non-smoker. I don’t like the stinky product and I have never been a regular smoker. I don’t like smoky atmospheres and have encountered many selfish smokers over the years who point-blank refuse to stub out when surrounded by non-smokers. Yet I will defend to the death the right of people to indulge in this expensive, filthy habit, as long as it doesn’t affect non-smokers such as myself.
I find government attitudes to smoking in most countries, including SA, to be hugely hypocritical. If they were really serious about the negative effects of smoking on people’s health, they would ban smoking outright for everyone. Finish en klaar. But they don’t, because they make too much money from taxing smoking and because they know that if they implemented a total ban, the illicit manufacturers would have a field day, as they did during the implementation of that ridiculous ban during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Illicit cigarettes carry no warnings on the pack and sell for a fraction of the cost of a packet of branded, legal cigarettes. But in addition to being carcinogenic, like their legal peers, the illicit cigarettes also contain many other noxious substances not found in the already highly toxic legal stuff.
But desperate people don’t care what they are ingesting into their lungs; the moment that vapour hits the alveoli and they get that nicotine buzz, they are set for the day. But it is an endless task of chasing the dragon, looking for the next nicotine high. It truly is an addiction.
Price rise
The tobacco companies have managed to survive the relentless onslaught of the antismoking lobby over many decades by being aggressive litigants in the courts, by being extremely nimble, by concentrating on new demand in emerging economies and by being highly innovative in the design of new products, such as making cigarettes that look like lipstick to appeal to women.
And they usually offer to work with governments to find solutions to smoking addiction, but most governments just ignore them. This is counterproductive, as big tobacco companies have extensive research on how, why and when people smoke, which would be invaluable for governments genuinely looking to reduce the incidence of smoking.
Probably the biggest single deterrent to smoking in recent years has been the rapid rise in the price of cigarettes. Cost-of-living database provider Numbeo publishes how much a packet of 20 cigarettes costs in a variety of countries. In US dollar terms, Australia is the most expensive place to buy a pack of 20, which retails for $25.50. The UK is ranked fourth most expensive at $15.90, while SA is positively cheap in world terms, coming in at number 82 with $2.61 per packet of 20. And surrounding SA are many emerging economies such as Nepal, North Macedonia, the Philippines, Kenya, Algeria and Brazil, all on similar prices for a pack of 20.
The SA government finds itself in the unenviable position of not really being able to ban cigarette smoking outright or alternatively massively increase duties for fear of encouraging further growth in illicit consumption. Instead, it is applying draconian new laws more suited to developed economies. The one sensible suggestion appears to be banning the use of unattended vending machines to make it more difficult for minors to buy cigarettes.
• Gilmour is an investment analyst.
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