- In 2027 New Zealand will become the second to outlaw this product after Bhutan.

- The new law forces the closure of 90% of the 6,000 stores that can currently sell tobacco in the country.

Resource image of a young man breaking a cigar. / Pixabay

New Zealand will ban tobacco sales to everyone born after 2009

The New Zealand Parliament approved a law on Tuesday that progressively bans the sale of tobacco from 2027, which will make the country the second to outlaw this product after Bhutan.

The rule, which was presented by the Government in December last year, establishes that those born on or after January 1, 2009, beginning with those who are 13 years old this year and turn 18 in 2027, will never be able to legally buy tobacco in New Zealand.

The law, championed by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's Labor Party, passed with 76 votes in favor and 43 against.

"This legislation accelerates progress towards a tobacco-free future," Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verral said in a statement, adding that the law will also reduce the amount of nicotine that tobacco products can carry.

The minister specified that "thousands of people will live longer and healthier lives", while the health system will be able to stop spending up to 5,000 million New Zealand dollars (about 3,198 million dollars or 3,034 million euros) in treating various types of cancer, heart attacks and amputations due to tobacco.

The new law forces the closure of 90% of the 6,000 stores that can currently sell tobacco in the country. "This legislation requires that there be a maximum of 600 tobacconists by the end of the year," said Verral.

The minister pointed out that, according to a study carried out with 25 stores that stopped selling cigarettes and other tobacco products in the country, 88% "experienced a neutral or positive financial impact."

In New Zealand, only 8% of adults smoke daily, according to surveys, compared to 9.4% in 2021 and 16% ten years ago.

According to 2019 OECD data, 28% of adults smoke regularly in Turkey, compared to 24.5% in Chile, 21.5% in China, 19.8% in Spain, 13% in Finland, 10.9% in the United States, 9% in Norway and 4.2% in Costa Rica, among others.

High tobacco taxes

In the last 10 years, New Zealand has increased tobacco taxes by up to 165% and a pack of cigarettes costs at least 30 New Zealand dollars (about 19 dollars or 18 euros).

The main opposition parties, the National and ACT New Zealand, voted against the law. The national deputy Shane Reti affirmed that his party is in favor of reducing first the consumption of tobacco and then the number of tobacconists, for which he criticized the law by forcing the closure of thousands of establishments.

The Maori Party supported the law but questioned why electric cigarettes have not been included in the ban. Some critics of the law also predict that the ban will increase tobacco smuggling in the country.

Following the example of New Zealand, the Malaysian Parliament began debating a bill last July to ban the sale of tobacco to those born on or after January 1, 2007.

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