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New Zealand on Tuesday passed a tough new package of smoke-free laws banning the sale of tobacco to future generations as part of the county’s effort to create a “smoke-free future,” officials said.
The legislative package passed by the House bans the sale of tobacco to anyone born after January 1, 2009, punishable by fines of up to $95,910. It also reduces the number of companies licensed to sell tobacco to 600 by the end of 2023, down from 6,000, according to Reuters.
“This legislation accelerates progress towards a smoke-free future,” Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall told the news agency.
“Thousands of people will live longer, healthier lives and the health care system will gain $5 billion from not having to treat diseases caused by smoking, such as many types of cancer, heart attacks, strokes, amputations,” he added.
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A man sits smoking in Auckland, New Zealand on Dec. 9, 2021. (AP/David Rowland / AP Newsroom)
Lawmakers voted along party lines passing the legislation 76 to 43.
The ACT Libertarian Party, which opposed the bill, said many small corner shops, known in New Zealand as dairies, would go out of business because they would no longer be able to sell cigarettes.
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“We are against this bill because it’s a bad bill and its bad policy, it’s so straightforward and simple,” said Brooke van Velden, deputy leader of ACT. “There will be no better result for New Zealanders.”
A man vapes on a street in Auckland, New Zealand, December 9, 2021. New Zealand on Tuesday approved a unique plan to phase out tobacco smoking by imposing a lifetime ban on young people buying cigarettes. (AP Images)
He said the phased ban amounted to a “nanny-state ban” that would end up creating a large black market. He said the ban never worked and always resulted in unintended consequences.
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Packets of Marlboro cigarettes are displayed for sale at a convenience store in Somerville, Massachusetts on July 17, 2014. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
The law doesn’t affect vaping, which has already become more popular than smoking in New Zealand.
New Zealand Statistics reported last month that 8% of New Zealand adults smoked daily, down from 16% 10 years ago. Meanwhile, 8.3% of adults were vaping every day, up from less than 1% six years ago.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
