Smoke Free generation

New Zealand has announced a series of proposals aimed at outlawing smoking for the next generation and is moving closer to its goal of being smoke-free by 2025.

The plans include the gradual increase of the legal smoking age, which could extend to a ban on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to anyone born after 2004.

Also under consideration is a significant reduction in the level of nicotine allowed in tobacco products, prohibiting filters, setting a minimum price for tobacco, and restricting the locations where tobacco and cigarettes can be sold.

Smoking accounts for one in four cancer deaths in New Zealand, and around half a million New Zealanders smoke daily. The effects of that are most-felt among Māori, New Zealand’s indigenous people: Māori women have the country’s highest smoking rates, with about 30% smoking daily. Cancer is the leading cause of death for Māori women and the second leading cause for Māori men.

The new approach has been welcomed by a number of public health organisations, but the plans also faced criticism for potential unintended consequences, including the possibility of an expanded black market for tobacco.