New Zealand has announced a ban on smoking products. The plans include the gradual increase of the legal smoking age to anyone born after 2004, making smoking effectively illegal for that generation.
They include They include a reduction in the level of nicotine allowed in tobacco products, prohibiting filters, setting a minimum price for tobacco, and restricting the locations where tobacco and cigarettes can be sold.
In a consultation document, the government said: “A smoke-free generation policy would prohibit the sale, and the supply in a public place, of smoked tobacco products to new cohorts from a specified date.
“For example, if legislation commenced on 1 January 2022, then people younger than 18 years at that time or those born after 1 January 2004 would never be able to lawfully be sold smoked tobacco products.”
The proposals have been criticised by right-wing political party ACT, who said one of the restrictions being looked at – lowering the amount of nicotine in cigarettes – could end up negatively affecting working-class smokers as they would need to buy more cigarettes in order to get the same hit.
The ACT’s social development and children spokesperson, Karen Chhour, said in a statement, “New Zealand smokers who can least afford it will spend more on their habit and in turn do harm to those around them if the government mandates lower nicotine”.
Convenience stores, corner shops and service stations have also shared concerns over banning tobacco sales from their businesses.
On Thursday while announcing the plan, Dr. Ayesha Verrall said: “We need a new approach.
About 4,500 New Zealanders die every year from tobacco, and we need to make accelerated progress to be able to reach that goal [of smoke-free 2025].
New Zealand has a population of about five million people and it’s estimated that about 500,000, or one in 10 smoke daily.
Smoking accounts for one in four cancer deaths in New Zealand with Māori people worst affected.
Cancer is the leading cause of death for Māori women and the second leading cause for Māori men
