New Zealand ban on the sale of tobacco to persons born after 2008 | Government Issues

The government plans to enact a law banning smoking by 2027 each year.

New Zealand plans to increase the legal age of smoking every year, banning the sale of tobacco to persons born after 2008.

The government will introduce new laws next year that will gradually increase smoking age from 18, starting in 2027, Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said Thursday in Wellington. The new law will also reduce the number of stores that can sell tobacco from 2024, and allow low-nicotine cigarettes to be sold from 2025.

“We want to make sure that young people do not start smoking so that we will make it a mistake to sell or supply tobacco products to young people,” Verrall said. “People 14 years of age when the law comes into effect will not be able to legally buy tobacco.”

Creating a smoky generation is part of a government initiative to reduce the spread of smoking in New Zealand to 5% of all population, with the goal of achieving it by 2025. Officials estimate that smoking kills about 5,000 people a year. , accounting for 15 percent of all deaths.

Although the rate of smoking has dropped to 10% among Europeans in New Zealand, it is still 28% of the Amorites and 18% of the Pacific population.

Chris Bullen, Professor of Public Health at the University of Auckland, said the government’s policy – especially moving to allow less nicotine in cigarettes – was a global innovation and game changer.

If implemented as described, these measures “could be one of the most important steps we can take as a country to reduce preventable deaths and reduce health inequalities in the next few years,” he said.

In the past, the government even raised taxes on tobacco products, which increased the cost of living for those who want to. But the plan was criticized because it increased the income of low-income families where smoking is rampant.

“We’ve already seen a lot of tax evasion,” Verrall said. “The government recognizes that progress will not help people to quit smoking, it simply imposes sanctions on smokers who are trying to break the habit.”