New Zealand imposes world's first ban on cigarettes, smoking for young generation

New Zealand on Tuesday announced a unique, comprehensive plan to effectively ban cigarettes for the new generations heeding the recommendation of tobacco researchers and health policy advocates. The government passed a law to completely phase out tobacco smoking by implementing a lifetime ban on young people from buying cigarettes. Tobacco within New Zealand cannot be sold to anybody born after January 1, 2009, as per the new legislation.

People will have to show an ID

The minimum age for buying cigarettes would effectively increase, eventually needing people to show an ID that proves they are of eligible age from now. New Zealand plans to be smoke-free by 2025, according to reports. It does not ban vaping, a more popular practice than smoking in New Zealand. As per the data released by Statistics New Zealand, about 8% of New Zealand adults smoked daily in 2022. This plunged from a whopping 16% ten years ago. The Indigenous Māori, smoking population was comparatively higher at 20%. The ban comes after years of hefty tax hikes on cigarettes and tobacco products. 

“There is no good reason to allow a product to be sold that kills half the people that use it,” Associate Minister of Health Dr. Ayesha Verrall told lawmakers in Parliament on Tuesday.  “And I can tell you that we will end this in the future, as we pass this legislation," she stressed. 

Ban on tobacco will save billions of dollars and would prevent treating smoking-related illnesses like cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and amputations. The country, said the health minister, is aiming for a generational change and better health for youth by phasing out smoking completely. The bill was passed into legislation by 76 to 43. It was, although, opposed by the libertarian ACT party that argued many shops will go out of business as they no longer would be able to sell cigarettes. The party lawmakers also insisted that the ban would lead to a large black market and criminal behaviour. 

“We stand opposed to this bill because it’s a bad bill and its bad policy, its that straightforward and simple,” Brooke van Velden, ACT’s deputy leader said in parliament.  “There won’t be better outcomes for New Zealanders," she furthermore added.