[jefftk]

> laws that artificially inflate their support by making them only apply to some sub-group

The NZ smoking case is interesting, though, because over time it will apply to the majority.

> If you can't find the political support to ban cigarettes outright, back-dooring democracy is not the right way to do it.

Requiring all public buildings to immediately retrofit for wheelchair access wasn't practical, but in the US proponents were able to get support for requiring this for new and heavily renovated buildings (the ADA). Having a gradual intermediate choice makes a lot of sense in cases where a full ban is really bad for people (or buildings) that are dependent on the old way and we also don't want to continue to allow it indefinitely.

[OkayPhysicist]

The ADA's significantly different, in my opinion for one simple reason: Buildings don't vote, people do. Everyone voting on the law could potentially be restricted by it, because they could build a new building or renovate an existing one. Therefore, while the people voting for it could be operating under the assumption of "Don't care, already got mine", they're still restricted by it going forward.

In contrast, NOBODY who voted for NZ's law will be restricted by it.