New Zealand set to ban tobacco

According to “The Guardian”, New Zealand intends to ban tobacco on its territory from 2025, which would make it the first tobacco-free country in the world. Explanations.

An ambition with far-reaching implications

The New Zealand government has announced its intention to remove tobacco from the country by 2025. A number of measures will be introduced in order to reach this ambitious target. But why such a drastic decision? The New Zealand authorities want to impose a model under which the health of young people is protected.

Every year in New Zealand, no fewer than 4,500 people die from tobacco, according to Ayesha Verrall, Minister for Food, Minister for Seniors and Associate Minister of Health. In order to turn young people away from tobacco in general, the government intends to penalise the cigarette, but also to raise the legal age for smoking, unlike Spain and its ban on smoking in public places. From 2025, cigarettes, cigars and all products containing tobacco will therefore be prohibited for every resident of the country born after 2004.

Other proposals are under consideration: the government also wants to reduce the level of nicotine contained in tobacco products. Filters would be banned, the number of points of sale restricted and a minimum price imposed.

What is pushing the government towards restrictive measures?

Beyond limiting a high tobacco-related death rate, the government also wants to reduce the number of cancers in the country. A quarter of the deaths caused by that disease are attributed directly to tobacco. Among Maori, cancer has become the leading cause of death for women and the second for men.

The initiative has already been welcomed by many institutions in the country, which hope that young people will quickly turn away from tobacco. Concern is growing as well, however. Such a stance could open the door to a very active black market, not to mention the heavy economic consequences for the small businesses directly affected by the restriction.