A Dunedin man selling single cigarettes online has drawn the ire of a tobacco researcher, but a member of Parliament says his reasoning is ''absolutely correct''.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the man said he knew his actions were illegal, but he was helping lower-income people who could not afford to buy packets of 20 cigarettes at a time, the minimum amount required by law.
He also justified selling the individual cigarettes, at $1.40 each, on the basis that it could also help stop tobacco-related robberies.
''If I can prevent someone wanting a smoke that bad they will go rob dairies etc for them, I'd rather prevent that.
''I do what I do to look after the lower-income people because our Government puts mad taxes on smokes.''
In a post on a Dunedin buy and sell group, he alleged the Middleton Rd Food Centre in Corstorphine had ''put a stop'' to selling loose cigarettes, and he planned to carry on where the shop left off.
A store manager said the previous owners had sold single cigarettes, but the present owner discontinued the practice after taking over the store several months ago.
The price the man charges for cigarettes is equivalent to $28 per packet of 20, more expensive than many packs found during an ODT price survey yesterday.
Smokefree policy specialist Proffesor Janet Hoek, of the University of Otago department of public health, said the man's justification for selling single smokes was riddled with inconsistencies.
''The whole point of making tobacco more expensive is to try and reduce the number of young people taking up smoking.
''If somebody comes in and starts selling loose cigarettes to people, then it's in complete violation of that rationale.''
Hoek said the man's argument he was trying to prevent dairies from being robbed by selling individual cigarettes, known colloquially as ''loosies'', was ''really spurious''.
A better approach would be to establish dedicated, secure shops for selling tobacco, she suggested.
''For example [creating] a level playing field by taking tobacco out of dairies and supermarkets and service stations, and just selling them from very secure R18 premises.''
Act New Zealand leader and Epsom MP David Seymour said while he did not ''endorse people breaking the law,'' he could understand the man's rationale for selling single cigarettes.
''His actual reasoning is absolutely correct.''
He said the emergence of a black market for cigarettes was a natural outcome of the annual 10% price hikes on cigarettes, which began last year, with the aim of making New Zealand smoke-free by 2025.
Tobacco prices had doubled since 2010 but the smoking rate had only dropped 1%, to 15% nationwide, by 2015-16, he said.
''The remaining 15% who smoke, their options are pay twice as much or get it on the black market.
''If they pay twice as much, they are in many cases taking food off the table of children.''
However, Ministry of Health data shows the number of adults smoking had dropped 20% overall since 2006-07. Total tobacco consumption, in terms of number of cigarettes smoked, dropped by an average of 6.3% annually between 2010 and 2014.
Southern DHB smoke-free enforcement officer Jo Lee said the sale of individual cigarettes was nothing new.
Public Health South had received several complaints in the past that Dunedin dairies were selling single cigarettes, which was a breach of Smoke-free legislation, she said.
Lee said selling individual cigarettes made smoking much more tempting for young people with limited money, allowing them to buy one or two at a time as needed, but potentially leading to a lifetime of lethal addiction.
• Price range for a 20-pack of cigarettes: $21 to $30.40, average about $25.
• Annual tobacco-related deaths in New Zealand: 5000
• Annual cost of packet-a-day smoking: about $9200 per year
• Retailer rules: illegal to display tobacco products or have signage advertising tobacco or cigarettes. Tobacco products must be concealed at all times except to the extent necessary to make a sale.
Source: smokefree.org.nz