New Zealand will also ban youths under the age of 14 from buying tobacco. The move is part of new anti-smoking laws approved by parliament this Tuesday, one of the world’s toughest legislative packages.
The laws include lifetime bans on tobacco sales to people born on or after January 1, 2009. Fines of up to 150,000 New Zealand dollars (91,000 euros) are imposed. According to Brussels TimesIt is expected to come into force in 2023.
Another objective of the law is to reduce the amount of nicotine Smoked tobacco Also reduce the number of traders selling tobacco by 90%. “This regulation accelerates progress toward a smoke-free future,” Deputy Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said in a statement.
“Thousands of people will live longer, healthier lives, and there will be an extra $5 billion (€4.7 billion) for the health system if treatment is not needed. [pessoas com] Diseases caused by smoking like various types of cancer, heart attacks, strokes [AVC]severance,” he added. The new law also states that traders are recognised Sell tobacco It will increase from six thousand to 600 by the end of 2023.
Although already having a very low one Smoking rates New Zealand, among the 38 countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), is making its anti-smoking laws tougher to become a “smoke-free” country by 2025. This measure is now approved and tabled. It also looks forward to the initial target established by the country, which earlier in the year indicated 2027 as a tobacco-free year. General statement🇧🇷 Only Bhutan, which banned the sale of cigarettes in 2010, has strict tobacco laws.
Similarly, the number of adult New Zealanders who smoke has halved in the past decade, now standing at 8%, with 56,000 people quitting last year. OECD data shows that 25% of French adults smoke in 2021.
According to Verrall, this legislation will help reduce the disparity in average life expectancy values between Māori and non-Māori citizens, which in the case of women can reach 25%. In this country, smoking rates are high among Maori and Pasifika communities.
ACT New Zealand, a right-wing party with ten of the 120 seats in parliament, opposes the law, saying it will kill small shops and force people into the black market.
“No one wants to be seen smoking, but in reality some do. And the Labor government’s ban is going to cause problems,” said deputy leader Brooke van Velden.
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