New Zealand to ban smoking completely under radical plan
New Zealand has made a huge move to wipe out smoking entirely, with young people to be unable to buy cigarettes ever in their lifetime.
New Zealand has taken a major step in its plan to get its smoking population under five per cent by 2025, with the move meaning many children will never be able to legally buy cigarettes in the country.
The new legislation means New Zealanders aged 14 or under will be banned from buying tobacco, even as adults.
Each year the legal smoking age will be increased, with a new age group added to the ban list until the country is completely smoke-free.
The new legislation was announced on Thursday, with New Zealand?s associate health minister, Ayesha Verrall, branding it a ?historic day for the health of our people?.
?We want to make sure young people never start smoking so we will make it an offence to sell or supply smoked tobacco products to new cohorts of youth. People aged 14 when the law comes into effect will never be able to legally purchase tobacco,? Dr Verrall said.
?We are also reducing the appeal, addictiveness and availability of smoked tobacco products.?
She said more needs to be done to help New Zealand reach the goal of its Smokefree 2025 action plan.
?While smoking rates are heading in the right direction, we need to do more, faster to reach our goal,? she said.
?If nothing changes, it would be decades before Maori smoking rates fall below five per cent and this government is not prepared to leave anyone behind.?
The government will also be restricting the number of shops allowed to sell tobacco products, with just 500 stores nationwide issued with a licence to sell cigarettes.
Dr Verrall said retailers will be given time to transition before the changes come into effect.
?New laws will mean only smoked tobacco products containing very low-levels of nicotine can be sold, with a significant reduction in the number of shops who can sell them,? she said.
More: https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/new-zealand-bans-youngsters-from-buying-cigarettes-ever-in-their-lifetime/news-story/37a42309afe7d97a5feec2c0fca076f9
New Zealand has made a huge move to wipe out smoking entirely, with young people to be unable to buy cigarettes ever in their lifetime.
New Zealand has taken a major step in its plan to get its smoking population under five per cent by 2025, with the move meaning many children will never be able to legally buy cigarettes in the country.
The new legislation means New Zealanders aged 14 or under will be banned from buying tobacco, even as adults.
Each year the legal smoking age will be increased, with a new age group added to the ban list until the country is completely smoke-free.
The new legislation was announced on Thursday, with New Zealand?s associate health minister, Ayesha Verrall, branding it a ?historic day for the health of our people?.
?We want to make sure young people never start smoking so we will make it an offence to sell or supply smoked tobacco products to new cohorts of youth. People aged 14 when the law comes into effect will never be able to legally purchase tobacco,? Dr Verrall said.
?We are also reducing the appeal, addictiveness and availability of smoked tobacco products.?
She said more needs to be done to help New Zealand reach the goal of its Smokefree 2025 action plan.
?While smoking rates are heading in the right direction, we need to do more, faster to reach our goal,? she said.
?If nothing changes, it would be decades before Maori smoking rates fall below five per cent and this government is not prepared to leave anyone behind.?
The government will also be restricting the number of shops allowed to sell tobacco products, with just 500 stores nationwide issued with a licence to sell cigarettes.
Dr Verrall said retailers will be given time to transition before the changes come into effect.
?New laws will mean only smoked tobacco products containing very low-levels of nicotine can be sold, with a significant reduction in the number of shops who can sell them,? she said.
More: https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/new-zealand-bans-youngsters-from-buying-cigarettes-ever-in-their-lifetime/news-story/37a42309afe7d97a5feec2c0fca076f9