Current Events > New Zealand to ban young people from ever being able to buy cigarettes

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https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/09/new-zealand-to-ban-young-people-from-ever-being-able-to-buy-cigarettes.html

New Zealand on Thursday announced plans to prevent young people from ever being able to buy cigarettes as part of an initiative to make the country entirely smoke-free by 2025. The measures will mean that anyone born after 2008 will not be able to purchase cigarettes or tobacco products in their lifetime, while the level of nicotine in cigarettes available to older people will be reduced. The number of retailers able to sell cigarettes could also be cut substantially, officials said. The legislation is expected to be enacted next year. Health officials and campaign groups have welcomed the move, recognizing the proposed reforms as one of the worlds toughest crackdowns on the tobacco industry. New Zealand already requires plain packaging and has high taxes on cigarettes, but the health ministry says more action is required if it is to reach the goal of making the country smoke-free.

This is a historic day for the health of our people, Dr. Ayesha Verrall, associate health minister, said in a statement. We want to make sure young people never start smoking so we will make it an offense to sell or supply smoked tobacco products to new cohorts of youth. People aged 14 when the law comes into effect will never be able to legally purchase tobacco. Verrall said smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in New Zealand and causes one in four cancers in its population of roughly 5 million. The health ministry said smoking-related harm was particularly prevalent in Maori, Pacific and low-income communities. The governments smoke-free goal, first introduced in 2011, is to ensure that the national smoking rate is reduced to less than 5% by 2025 before eventually eliminating smoking altogether. At present, around 13% of adults smoke nationwide, down from 18% almost a decade ago. The World Health Organization describes the tobacco epidemic as one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced. It says smoking, including second-hand, kills more than 8 million people per year. More than 80% of the worlds estimated 1.3 billion tobacco users live in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is heaviest.



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Impressive if they succeed. They're just far enough away from most of the world that it's not likely to lead to some large black market smuggling operation.

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That's a shame. Cigarettes are so cool.

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It is still mind boggling how cigs are allowed, yet pot is seen as MUCH worse by world governments.

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This violates human rights and freedoms/s
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Cool. The tobacco industry sux. Smoke em out.
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Only old people smoke . You never see anyone young light up a cigarette . Its an old person thing.

smoking, one of the dumbest things you can do.

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I cant stand the stink of smokers but I do not know if this will end well especially when it is a violation of freedom of choice.

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Why don't they just ban the whole thing for everyone?

Good

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The industry is awful, but tobacco itself is a sacred plant. I don't like the precedent this sets, considering how drug prohibition laws have been abused in the past and are still being abused today.
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Bleuets posted...

Only old people smoke . You never see anyone young light up a cigarette . Its an old person thing.

Every single one of my three brothers smoke. I'm the only one who doesn't.

And my grandpa died from lung cancer last year.

I'm still not for banning tobacco.

TheOnionKnight posted...

The industry is awful, but tobacco itself is a sacred plant. I don't like the precedent this sets, considering how drug prohibition laws have been abused in the past and are still being abused today.

Fuck tobacco. Tear up the crops and destroy the seeds, then piss on them

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What about da vape?

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fair,next

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nice

RiKuToTheMiGhtY posted...

I cant stand the stink of smokers but I do not know if this will end well especially when it is a violation of freedom of choice.

It's not really a choice past the first few because it's chemically addictive.


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Good shit

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bladegash posted...

What about da vape?

That's actually an increasing problem here, so yeah, we'll get back to you on that one.

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Interesting initiative but one I'm not opposed to.

Though it sounds like this might just result in people transitioning to e-cigs or vaping. Guess we'll see what the endgame is.

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I don't enjoy smoking anymore but I'd like the choice to smoke when I want, usually if I'm really drunk.

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But my doctor and Lucille Ball both said that smoking is healthy and cool. If I can't trust celebrities and paid doctors, who can I trust?

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Something that legitimately needs to be taken away

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Finally.

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dolomedes posted...

good

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Unless they're going to ban its import whatsoever, not like they can't just make their own. That'd probably cut out a lot of smoking if people actually had to buy and roll their own instead of being easily available.

At that point why not just outlaw the sale of tobacco entirely? Seems more sensible than "these people will never be allowed to buy tobacco in their lives, ever, but these people whom they interact with and live with every day can"

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Holy shit New Zealand is anti-smoking too? Every day I want to move there more and more. I wish the rest of the world was like that, especially Europe and Asia.

So now we know that so far America tends to be anti-smoking, and NZ. Any other countries where smoking is less tolerated?
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GranolaPanic posted...

Doctors in the 50s and 60s seriously used to promote smoking as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Back then it was not uncommon for your doctor to smoke while examining you

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RiKuToTheMiGhtY posted...

I cant stand the stink of smokers but I do not know if this will end well especially when it is a violation of freedom of choice.

You're acting like nothing else is illegal...

dolomedes posted...

good

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Damn. Crazy awesome.

will they be able to vape ?

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SSMajinVegeta2 posted...

Damn. Crazy awesome.

will they be able to vape ?

Since they're also reducing the nicotine in cigarettes that can be sold, my assumption would be no

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Bleuets posted...

You never see anyone young light up a cigarette

maybe YOU don't, but this is definitely not true. while i do see fewer young people smoking, young people definitely still smoke.

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You know who else banned cigarettes? HITLER

good on new Zealand tho. It's probably the best English speaking country to live in at this point.

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So they think banning cigarettes is going to really deter people from smoking? Pretty sure the US tried that way back when with alcohol and all that did was fuel a black market that was littered with corruption and blood. Why not allow cigarettes and let grown adults make their own choice to ingest the disgusting cancer stick?

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Authoritarianism is awesome when i agree with it
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Nu_Jersey_Devil posted...

So they think banning cigarettes is going to really deter people from smoking? Pretty sure the US tried that way back when with alcohol and all that did was fuel a black market that was littered with corruption and blood. Why not allow cigarettes and let grown adults make their own choice to ingest the disgusting cancer stick?

Yeah no. There's no such thing as second hand drunk or even second hand narcotic needle injection. If people want to drink or pop pills, who gives a fuck. But when you're smoking you're ruining everybody's air, it's no longer "their own choice"

We live in a society after all
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saspa posted...

Yeah no. There's no such thing as second hand drunk or even second hand narcotic needle injection. If people want to drink or pop pills, who gives a fuck. But when you're smoking you're ruining everybody's air, it's no longer "their own choice"

We live in a society after all

Beyond that it's also a drain on health services and costs everyone a lot of money

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Nemu posted...

Unless they're going to ban its import whatsoever, not like they can't just make their own. That'd probably cut out a lot of smoking if people actually had to buy and roll their own instead of being easily available.

I've been saying this for years, don't ban tobacco, ban cigarettes.

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eston posted...

Beyond that it's also a drain on health services and costs everyone a lot of money

by that rationale, should we also ban severely unhealthy foods that are proven to lead to obesity, like sugary drinks (ie soda)? since obesity "is a drain on health services and costs everyone a lot of money"?

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