In response to the growing number of people who smoke, New Zealand on Tuesday became the first country in the world to ban the sale of tobacco to anyone under the age of 23. The law also states that the minimum age for buying tobacco products will continue to increase. This means that people who are at least 63 years old would have to show proof of their identity to purchase cigarettes.
Health officials in New Zealand have a stated goal of making the country smoke-free by 2025. To achieve this, the new law reduces the number of retailers that can sell tobacco products from 6,000 to 600. It also lowers the amount of nicotine that can be allowed in cigarettes. In response to the new legislation, Dr. Verrall said that it is very important that the public is not allowed to buy tobacco products that kill half of the people who use them.
She noted that the new legislation would save the country billions of dollars annually by preventing people from experiencing various health conditions, such as heart attacks, cancer, and stroke. The bill was passed by the country’s lawmakers along party lines.
In response to the growing number of people who smoke, New Zealand on Tuesday became the first country in the world to ban the sale of tobacco to anyone under the age of 23. The new legislation was passed by the country’s lawmakers along party lines. However, the libertarian ACT party opposed the bill, and it noted that many small businesses would be forced to close due to the ban on tobacco sales.
Brooke van Velden, the ACT party’s deputy leader, said that the bill was a bad idea and would not improve the country’s health. She noted that the ban would lead to the establishment of a large black market for tobacco products. She said the country would be experiencing negative effects from the ban.
Although the new legislation does not affect the use of electronic cigarettes, which are known as vaping products, it has already become more common in the country. According to Statistics New Zealand, the number of adults who smoke daily has decreased to 8% from 16% ten years ago. On the other hand, the number of people who vaped has increased to 8.3% from less than 1% six years ago.
In addition to restricting the sale of tobacco products to those over 18, New Zealand also requires that the packaging of cigarettes contain health warnings. In recent years, the country has imposed several tax increases on cigarettes. The new law was praised by various health organizations. Health Coalition Aotearoa noted that the legislation was the culmination of decades of hard-won efforts by the community and health sectors.
