Chlöe Swarbrick has called on the Government to be consistent with its approach to drug harm in response to its repeal of smokefree legislation.
The Green MP says whether it is tobacco, alcohol or cannabis, New Zealand should take a harm-based evidence approach.
The new Government's policy would reverse efforts to cut cigarettes' nicotine levels, cut the number of cigarette retailers and scrap the world-first smokefree generation.
The Government said repealing the legislation would help generate tax revenue to help fund its tax cuts. It also said the smokefree laws would concentrate tobacco sales to few retail outlets, making them a target for crime and will create a black market for the products.
The news made headlines worldwide, with health professionals calling for the Government to rethink its decision and over the weekend Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was under scrutiny again after having to correct a false claim about the policy.
The new Government spent its first week claiming under the policy only one store would have been able to sell tobacco in Northland - making it a magnet for criminals. But the real number of stores is at least 18.
Appearing on AM on Monday, Seymour said while Luxon got the number wrong, he got the substantial point of the effect of the policy right – that there would be an enormous restriction on the number of stores allowed to sell tobacco.
Also appearing on the show, Swarbrick, who has campaigned for cannabis to be legalised and harsher regulations on alcohol, said the Government should be consistent in its approach to drug harm.
"You can't have it both ways when it comes to drug harm, right. Because you have three parties that have massively inconsistent approaches to drug harm – whether we're talking about alcohol, whether we're talking about tobacco, whether we're talking about cannabis," Swarbrick told co-host Melissa Chan-Green.
"So, if we want to take a consistent line on this then let's do precisely that… Let's say that instead of having criminal prohibition on one side or complete legal free market on the other, let's have sensible regulation for these substances so that we can take an evidence-based approach to genuinely reduce harm."
However, when asked if that meant she was fine with the Government repealing smokefree laws, Swarbrick disagreed.
She said New Zealand should not have any penalties for social sharing or for younger people "potentially involved or wrapped up in the black market".
"The point remains that if we are going to take a harm-based evidence approach to tobacco, then we should take the same one to alcohol... and we should take the same approach to cannabis."
Watch the video above for more.
