On Sunday 31 August 2003, ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) publicised the high toxicity of Holiday Extra Mild cigarettes through the Sunday Star Times, TV3 and Radio NZ News, on the basis of a report to the Ministry of Health by ESR (Environmental Science and Research Ltd).1

Holiday Extra Mild lost market share within the week, the fall averaging 16.8% over the rest of the year, from 4.46% to 3.69%, consumers spending $0.57 million less on this brand by year’s end (AC Nielsen Weekly supermarket cigarette sales, 2002–3, Figure 1).

Extra Mild smokers may have switched brands, but no net quitting occurred. Total cigarette sales actually rose by 0.3% – from 6.99 million a week before September to 7.3 million a week thereafter, partly due to Christmas shopping unopposed by any quit advertising through November and December.

Overall, cigarette sales in supermarkets in 2003 equalled sales in 2002. Smoking prevalence has hardly declined in four years.

Individually, doctors can insist that their healthcare facility tags and flags patient records to make smoking cessation advice a natural outcome of patient contact.

Smokers in 2002 paid $938 million in tobacco tax, $140 million more than in 1999 (excise and customs duty receipts on tobacco products, calendar years 1995–2002). Expenditure on quitting is more like $14 million. As a matter of fairness, smokers, facing a 50% excess cumulative mortality, deserve a new deal.

We urge an annual and massive package to get synergy from combining the most effective policies: quit advertising, community support from nonsmokers, and pre-announced annual price increases above inflation, focused around a national quit day. Without a strong national action plan, district health boards cannot effectively reduce the burden of smoking diseases.