Young New Zealanders will be banned from being able to buy tobacco in their lifetimes under sweeping new plans announced on Thursday.
It will be an offense to sell or provide smoked tobacco products to anyone 14 years of age or younger when the legislation takes effect from 2023.
Only the older generations will be able to buy tobacco products under the best global plans.
And even then, the products will only be able to contain low levels of nicotine.
“Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in New Zealand and causes one in four cancer,” Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall told Parliament.
“We want to make sure that young people never start smoking, so we are going to criminalize the sale or provision of smoking tobacco products to new cohorts of young people.
“People aged 14 when the law comes into effect will never be able to legally buy tobacco. “
She said the Smokefree 2025 action plan was designed to prevent young people from starting to smoke, which is the leading cause of preventable death in New Zealand.
The government has pledged to “significantly” reduce the number of stores authorized to sell tobacco products, “particularly in low-income communities”, believing that smoking is a key factor in the difference in expectation. life.
Dr Verrall said non-Maori citizens live on average eight years longer than New Zealand Maori, and 2.5 years of that gap was attributed to smoking.
“We want to make sure young people never start smoking,” she said.
“If nothing changes, it will be decades before Maori smoking rates drop below 5% and this government is not prepared to leave anyone behind. “
She added that the New Zealand government expected to save up to NZ $ 5 billion (A $ 4.74 billion) on future health care spending thanks to the changes.
New Zealand’s tobacco control plan
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the leading tobacco control measure must go beyond just raising prices.
A bill is expected to be presented to New Zealand’s parliament in June 2022, with the hope that it will be passed by December.
If the schedule holds, anyone aged 14 in 2023 will be banned from purchasing tobacco products at the age of 18.
From there, a new age group will be added to the banned list every year, meaning the percentage of the population banned from smoking will increase and the age at which people are legally allowed to buy tobacco will increase. actually every year.
The number of stores licensed to sell tobacco products will drop dramatically from over 8,000 to just 500 across the country.
A bill is due in June next year, aimed at passing by December, meaning anyone who turns 14 in 2023 will be banned from buying tobacco.
“The changes will not take effect immediately, giving retailers time to transition to a new business model,” said Dr Verrall.
“Alongside the policies of the action plan which will become law, concrete measures to support smokers are also favored.
“Preventing people from starting to smoke and helping those who do quit smoking means that we cover both ends of the spectrum.
“We know it’s really hard to break the habit and some people who smoke will naturally need a lot of support before these changes take effect.”
Plan support
The New Zealand Green Party has praised the “bold” policies, as have public health activists.
Smoke-free lobbyist ASH praised the New Zealand government for its “courage and commitment.”
“It has been a long task, but it now looks like we will reach the 2025 smoke-free target,” said ASH President and Founder Professor Emeritus Robert Beaglehole.
“The government is to be commended for its courage and commitment.
“This set of complementary measures will be the envy of countries struggling to combat the death and misery caused by smoked tobacco.
“We will be the world leaders in tobacco control. “
We will lead the world in tobacco control
But the minor right-wing ACT party tore up the changes, saying “the ban never worked.”
“We are going to end up with a black market in tobacco, with no standards or regulations, and people will be hurt,” spokeswoman Karen Chhour said.
Smoking and tobacco laws in Australia
According to the 2021 report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s Cancer in Australia, prostate cancer and breast cancer are the most frequently diagnosed cancers in men and women, melanoma, colorectal cancer and cancer lung being the next three most common in both gender categories.
Personal and behavioral risk factors such as smoking and obesity continue to contribute to the cancer burden, with 42% of all cancer incidences attributable.
People in poorer areas are also twice as likely to die from lung cancer, according to the report.
Over a million Australians are living or have lived with cancer. This year, an estimated 151,000 will be diagnosed and 49,000 will die from the disease.
Australia officially revised the smoking and tobacco laws for the last time in 2019.
Currently, it is illegal to sell or provide tobacco products to young people under the age of 18.
Smoking is also prohibited in certain enclosed public spaces, including public transport, office buildings, shopping malls, schools, cinemas and airports.
There are also restrictions on advertising in Australia that “may encourage or persuade people to smoke or use tobacco products,” according to the Department of Health.
– With PAA
