WELLINGTON: A new law banning cigarette smoking in New Zealand will come into force next year.
New Zealand, a country in the southwestern Pacific region, has a law in place that allows people over the age of 18 to sell cigarettes.
Every year, the age limit for the sale of cigarettes is raised and an innovative aspect of this law is introduced. That means that in 2022, cigarettes will be sold only to those over 14 years of age. It will rise to 15 in 2023 and 16 in 2024.
Although this law will not immediately stop young people from smoking cigarettes, as the years go by, the number of young people smoking will decrease.
For example, 65 years after the law came into force, only 80-year-olds can buy cigarettes. The New Zealand government is imposing higher taxes on cigarettes to curb the habit. As a result, the percentage of cigarette smokers has dropped to 11 percent.
The percentage of daily cigarette smokers has dropped to 9 percent. The government says the new law will gradually reduce and eradicate cigarette smoking in the country in the future.
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