New Zealand first to ban smoking for next generation
New Zealand is the first country in the world to adopt a law banning smoking for the next generation, the Guardian reports.
The corresponding law will enter into force in 2023. At the same time, the sale of vapes in the country will not be restricted.
The publication also noted that the country would not sell tobacco products to people born on January 1, 2009, or later.
"We want to make sure young people never start smoking, so we will make it an offense 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," said Associate health minister Ayesha Verrall.
The Guardian emphasized that New Zealand became the first country in the world to introduce a ban on the sale of tobacco to persons born on or after January 1, 2009.
This is how the authorities try to make the country "smoke-free" by 2025.
The law is accompanied by several other measures to make smoking less accessible. Namely, the amount of nicotine in tobacco products has been dramatically reduced in the country.
The publication also emphasized that tobacco products can only be sold through specialized tobacco shops, not in stores and supermarkets.
At the same time, the number of shops allowed to sell cigarettes will decrease ten times: from 6 thousand to only 600 across the country.
New Zealand has also increased funding for health services and campaigns and has rolled out smoking cessation services specifically for indigenous Maori and Pacific Islanders. All these laws have already passed the final reading and will enter into force in 2023.
"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," Verrall stressed.
According to the Ministry of Health of New Zealand, the fight against tobacco is working because the number of smokers has fallen to the lowest in the history of observations. However, some people have switched from tobacco to e-cigarettes.
The number of New Zealanders who smoke tobacco daily has fallen to 8%, down from 9.4% last year. Instead, the increase in the number of "vapers" was more significant than the decrease in the number of smokers:
- 8.3% of adults vape daily, up from 6.2% in 2021.
Earlier, the World Health Organization explained why vaping is also dangerous for health.
To recap, a platform for complaints about smoking in public places has been launched in Ukraine.
