According to the official website of the New Zealand Ministry of Health on September 17th, two store owners, one of a discount tobacco store and the other of a cigar store, were fined a total of 36,000 New Zealand dollars (22,000 US dollars) for illegally selling tobacco and e-cigarette products. This is the first judgment in a series of prosecutions by the Ministry of Health against retailers identified as repeat offenders.
Canteros Limited and its store owner have been fined $28,000 New Zealand dollars ($17,000 USD) for eight violations related to the Smoke-free Environments and Regulated Products Act, which include selling, labeling, and advertising infractions. Additionally, the owner of Discount Specialist and one employee were fined a total of $8,000 New Zealand dollars ($5,000 USD) for repeatedly selling single cigarettes and openly displaying tobacco products in the store.
Although the usual penalty for selling regulated products to minors is a fine of 500 New Zealand dollars (approximately 300 US dollars), this series of prosecutions is one of the most severe measures taken against the illegal sale of e-cigarettes and cigarettes to date.
The Chief Legal Adviser of the Ministry of Health, Phil Knipe, stated that
Ensuring that retailers who violate the law are held accountable is crucial. The New Zealand Ministry of Health has been taking strong actions for some time to crackdown on non-compliant retailers, and now we are starting to see the results of these efforts. There is still more work to be done, with more prosecutions expected in the coming months.
Currently, the Department of Health is pursuing further legal action against two additional retailers, in cases related to the suspected sale of e-cigarettes and cigarettes to minors.
In the July enforcement operation by the New Zealand Ministry of Health, 600 retailers were inspected, with 64 of them ultimately receiving fines for selling tobacco or e-cigarette products to minors.
Jo Pugh, Compliance Manager for the New Zealand Ministry of Health's National Public Health Service, stated that...
We know that the vast majority of retailers comply with the law and do not sell restricted products to young people, but it is disappointing that there are still some retailers who violate the law by selling cigarettes or e-cigarettes to children and young people. Compliance is a top priority for health authorities, and we will continue to monitor and identify retailers who do not comply with the law.
Once the newly introduced amendment to the Smoke-Free Environment and Regulated Products Act is passed, it will significantly increase the penalties for businesses and individuals violating the act, as well as selling regulated products to minors.
The New Zealand Ministry of Health plans to significantly strengthen the smoke-free workforce and compliance activities in the next year.
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