People born after 2009 in New Zealand cannot buy cigarettes forever.
On the 13th (local time), Reuters and the British Guardian reported that New Zealand’s parliament passed a new anti-smoking law banning the sale of cigarettes to people born after January 1, 2009.
According to reports, the bill will come into effect from 2023, and breaching it will result in fines of up to 150,000 New Zealand dollars (about 125 million won).
As a result, children under the age of 13 (14 years from the date of publication) cannot buy cigarettes in New Zealand for the rest of their lives. By 2073, 50 years after the law comes into effect, New Zealanders under the age of 64 will no longer be able to legally buy cigarettes.
The bill also includes reducing the amount of nicotine in cigarettes and reducing the number of shops that can sell cigarettes by 90% from 6,000 today to 600 by the end of 2023.
New Zealand, which has the lowest adult smoking rate among the 38 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, is accelerating efforts to become a ‘smoke-free country’ by reducing the smoking rate to less than 5% by 2025. .
Although the average adult smoking rate across OECD countries is 16.5%, New Zealand’s adult smoking rate last year was only half that, at 8%.
If the new anti-smoking law comes into effect, New Zealand will become the country with the world’s strictest tobacco control after Bhutan, the media reported.
Bhutan, located in South Asia, was the first country in the world to ban the sale of tobacco in 2005.
Meanwhile, the Danish government is also promoting a plan to ban the sale of nicotine products, including cigarettes, to all citizens born after 2010.
Lee Bo-bae, Hankyung.com guest reporter newsinfo@hankyung.com
