New Zealand smoking ban: Country passed historic law to ban smoking for the next generation
new zealand Passed a bill banning the purchase of legal cigarettes for those under the age of 14 in order to make the country smoke-free by 2025.
The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill aims to ban the sale of tobacco to people born after January 1, 2009, while reducing the number of retailers selling tobacco. .
of Jacinda Ardern The government will also cut the amount of nicotine allowed in smoking tobacco products.
of The bill passed a final reading in Congress On Tuesday, with the support of the ruling Labor Party, the Green Party and the Te Party Maori.
The number of Pacific retailers allowed to sell cigarettes will be cut to a tenth of the current 6,000, Deputy Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said.
The minister said the law, which she said will accelerate progress towards a smoke-free future, will mandate up to 600 tobacco retailers by the end of next year, adding.
“Thousands of people will be able to live longer and healthier lives, and our healthcare system will be $5 billion better by not having to treat the underlying diseases. smokingdifferent types of cancer, heart attacks, strokes, amputations, etc. Mr Verral said:.
This decision represents one of the world’s most challenging approaches to curbing smoking deaths. Maori population.
The health minister said the measures taken would reduce the life expectancy gap for Māori women by 25% and Māori men by 10%.
New Zealand’s smoking prevalence will drop to a record low in 2022, with 8% of adults smoking daily, compared with 9.4% a year and a half ago, Ministry of Health data showed in November. became clear to
However, the number of people who use e-cigarettes daily has increased to 8.3%, up from 6.2% recorded last year.
The country has also increased funding for the health sector to deploy cigarette– Abolition of services and crackdown on tobacco smuggling. From this year’s budget he has allocated more than $10 million to curb “sophisticated” tobacco smuggling operations.
“Customs has seen a significant increase in smuggling of tobacco products into New Zealand over the last few years,” Customs Minister Mecha Waitiri said in early May. “Smoke Free He also knows that demand for illegal tobacco products is likely to increase as measures in the Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan continue to impact smoking rates.”
More than 5,000 smoking-related deaths are reported annually in New Zealand, making it the leading cause of preventable death. Four of her five smokers started smoking before she turned 18, according to the government.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/new-zealand-smoking-ban-bill-b2244037.html New Zealand smoking ban: Country passed historic law to ban smoking for the next generation