KICKING THE HABIT

New Zealand Bans Cigarette Sales to Anyone Born After 2008 For Life

New Zealand plans to implement the strictest anti-smoking legislation in the world to make sure no one currently under the age of 14 has access to cigarettes, ever.

New Zealand has just promised to make sure no one born after 2008 is ever able to buy a cigarette by banning the sale of tobacco throughout their lives. “We want to make sure young people never start smoking,” Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verall said. The number of stores allowed to sell cigarettes will be diminished and the sale of smokes will be banned from grocery stores and convenience shops. About 13% of New Zealand adults smoke but rate goes up to about 31 percent among the indigenous Maori population, according to the BBC. “If nothing changes, it would be decades till Maori smoking rates fall below five per cent, and this government is not prepared to leave people behind.” Under the new legislation, starting in 2024 the number of authorized sellers of tobacco will drop from 8,000 to 500. Then in 2025, nicotine levels will be reduced and the country hopes to have a “smoke free” generation by 2027.