New Zealand passes law banning cigarettes for future generations

New Zealand on Tuesday passed a law banning cigarettes for future generations in the country. It is considering an attempt to bring in a near-total tobacco ban from next year.

According to media reports, the law passed by Parliament means that anyone born after 2008 will never be able to buy cigarettes or tobacco products in the country. The legislation will also reduce the amount of nicotine allowed in smoked tobacco products and cut the number of retailers able to sell tobacco by 90 percent.

New Zealand’s associate Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall, in a statement said, this legislation accelerates progress towards a smoke-free future. Retailers licensed to sell tobacco will be cut to six hundred by the end of 2023 from six thousand.

According to government statistics released in November, the smoking rate in New Zealand is already one of the lowest in the world, with just 8 percent of adults smoking daily.