New Zealand aims for smokefree generation with new law

[WELLINGTON] New Zealand will attempt to create a smokefree generation by progressively lifting the age at which tobacco can be purchased.

The government will introduce new legislation in 2022 that will raise the legal smoking age by one year every year from 2027, Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said on Thursday in Wellington.

The new law will also reduce the number of shops that can sell tobacco from 2024, and allow only smoked tobacco products containing very low levels of nicotine to be sold from 2025.

"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," Verrall said. "People aged 14 when the law comes into effect will never be able to legally purchase tobacco."

Creating a smokefree generation is part of the government's campaign to reduce the prevalence of smoking in New Zealand to less then 5 per cent of all population groups, which it aims to achieve by 2025.

Officials estimate smoking kills as many as 5,000 people a year, accounting for 15 per cent of all deaths. While smoking prevalence has dropped to 10 per cent among the New Zealand's European population, it is still 28 per cent among Maori and 18 per cent for Pacific people.

In the past, the government increased excise taxes on tobacco, driving up the price of smoking in an effort to discourage the habit. But the policy drew criticism because it increased costs for low-income households where smoking is more widespread.

"We've already seen the full impact of excise tax increases," Verrall said. "The government recognises that going further will not help people quit, it will only further punish smokers who are struggling to kick the habit."

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