New Zealand passes world-first law to ban smoking for next generation

New Zealand has clamped down on smoking for future generations in a way that no other country has before.

A steadily rising smoking age has been introduced in a bid to stop anyone aged 14 and under from being able to legally buy cigarettes.

The country hopes the move will totally outlaw smoking for the next generation, aiming to be ‘totally smoke free’ by 2025.

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Ayesha Verrall, New Zealand’s associate health minister, said of the move: “Thousands of people will live longer, healthier lives and the health system will be $5bn better off from not needing to treat the illnesses caused by smoking, such as numerous types of cancer, heart attacks, strokes, amputations.”

She added: “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.”

New Zealand is the first country in the world to introduce an annually rising smoking age, which ensures tobacco can’t be sold to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009.

Other measures will also be introduced that make smoking less accessible and affordable.

For example, the legal amount of nicotine in tobacco products will be dramatically reduced and they’ll be sold through specific tobacco stores instead of supermarkets and newsagents.

When the new laws come into effect next year, the amount of stores legally able to sell cigarettes will drop to a tenth of current levels - down from 6,000 to just 600.

Speaking back in July, Verrall said: “For decades we have permitted tobacco companies to maintain their market share by making their deadly product more and more addictive. It is disgusting and it is bizarre.

“We have more regulations in this country on the safety of the sale of a sandwich than on a cigarette.”

She added: “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.”

It’s worth pointing out that New Zealand’s new laws won’t restrict the sale of vapes and that many New Zealanders have now ditched cigarettes in favour of vapes, according to data.