Will this be world's first smoke-free nation?

Published on Tuesday 8 July 2008 22:16

HEALTH officials want to make the tiny South Pacific island of Niue the first country in the world to be fully smoke-free.

A bill to ban smoking and the sale of tobacco in all public areas and private homes has been presented to parliament, Dr Sitaleki Finau, Niue's top public health official, announced yesterday.

The government has yet to sign up to the plan, and Dr Finau conceded it could face stiff opposition from tobacco companies and other commercial interests.

But he urged legislators to be bold and impose the bans.

"Small countries are allowed to be ambitious," Dr Finau said. "If a small country can do this, then big countries will start thinking. Imagine what that means."

Niue, an island of 100sq miles about 1,500 miles north-east of New Zealand, has about 250 smokers among its 1,300 population. The costs of treating the effects of their habit is putting a heavy strain on the country's health budget, Dr Finau 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.

Like many countries, Niue has banned smoking in government offices and other public buildings. 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.