New Zealand will ban smoking for all born after 2008

New Zealand authorities have decided to ban the sale of tobacco to anyone born after 2008. Thus, the country wants to completely quit smoking, writes with the BBC.

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Under the law, which is expected to be passed next year, those born after 2008 will not be able to buy cigarettes or tobacco products for their entire lives.

“We want to make sure that young people don't start smoking in the first place,” said the country's health minister, Ayesha Verall.

The ban is part of an ambitious smoking cessation measure announced by the New Zealand Ministry of Health.

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Local doctors and other health experts have hailed reforms that will reduce access to tobacco and limit the level of nicotine in cigarettes.

“This will help people quit smoking or switch to less harmful products, which will significantly reduce the likelihood of young people becoming addicted to nicotine,” says Professor Janet Hook from the University of Otago.

New Zealand has set a goal of reducing the number of smokers in the country by 5% by 2025 and then completely quitting smoking.

Currently, about 13% of New Zealand adults smoke, up from 10% 18 years ago. But among the indigenous population, Maori, this figure is much higher - about 31%. Māori also have higher rates of death and severe illness.

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New Zealand's Ministry of Health states that smoking is responsible for 25% of cancers among the country's 5 million people and remains the leading cause of preventable deaths. Legislators have been trying to reduce smoking in the country for over 10 years.

As part of the new restrictive measures, the government, significantly restricting the sale of cigarettes in supermarkets and small stores, tightened control over the sale of tobacco.

The number of stores allowed to sell cigarettes will be cut from about 500 to XNUMX, officials said.

In recent years, vaping—electronic cigarettes that emit nicotine-containing vapor—has gained popularity among young people. Today, vaping is more popular than traditional cigarettes.

New Zealand health authorities, however, warn that e-cigarettes are not at all harmless - researchers have discovered dangerous carcinogens in e-liquids. However, in 2017, vaping was adopted in the country as a way to help smokers quit smoking.

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