According to the proposal, from 2027, the legal smoking age of 18 in New Zealand would be raised year by year, allowing existing smokers to continue to buy tobacco products, but effectively banning them for anyone born after 2008. Elias Audy and his son own two mobile gas stations in Brookline. They said they predict a significant loss in sales beyond tobacco sales, as customers who go elsewhere to buy cigarettes are likely to buy their gasoline and other items there as well. In fact, the policy is so ambitious that it could represent what experts call the “endgame” in tobacco control. Cigarette advertising was banned on television and radio in 1963, in cinemas and billboards in 1971 and in print media in 1990. Tobacco sponsorship ceased in 1995 and tobacco signs were banned from stores the same year. The tobacco displays themselves were banned in 2012. [5] “The way we created it, no one who can currently buy tobacco will ever be banned from buying tobacco,” she said. “It`s really just about the future.” “Eventually, we will have a black market for tobacco,” said Karen Chhour, a party spokeswoman. Citing figures from Z Energy, a gas station retailer, he said tobacco accounts for nearly half of in-store sales. While Brookline and New Zealand agree on their goal of phasing out tobacco, they face different challenges. There is a near-total ban on tobacco advertising and promotion, including a ban on displaying all tobacco products at points of sale.
There are certain restrictions on tobacco sponsorship and promotion. Health officials in New Zealand have proposed a handful of other measures in addition to the ban, including limiting the number of retailers where tobacco can be sold. After all, only low-nicotine cigarettes will be allowed. On 9 December 2021, Deputy Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall confirmed that, as part of the “Smoke-Free 2025” target, the sixth Labour government would introduce a new law that would ban people under the age of 14 from legally buying tobacco for the rest of their lives. Older generations are only allowed to buy tobacco products with very low nicotine content, while fewer stores are allowed to sell tobacco products. The government`s announcement was welcomed by the Green Party and several health leaders, including New Zealand Medical Association President Dr. Alistair Humphrey, Sally Liggins, Chair of the Aotearoa Smokefree Expert Advisory Group, and Collin Tukuitonga, Vice-Dean of the Pacific at the University of Auckland, for the health effects of smoking. particularly in the Maori and Pasifika communities. In contrast, ACT Health spokeswoman Karen Chhour criticized the bill, saying a ban was not feasible, saying it would create a black market for tobacco products. [7] [8] On September 5, 2007, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) called for the phase-out of tobacco by 2017. [9] Tobacco displays in stores were banned in 2012.
[10] Winston Peters, himself a smoker, has long advocated for the right to smoke. In New Zealand`s 2016 budget, ACT New Zealand also advocated for smokers, saying that while the tobacco tax has doubled in the last five years, smoking rates have only fallen by 1.3%. [11] In Brookline, financial concerns are also high for small businesses – but even more so because they fear that customers will simply travel to the nearby town to buy tobacco products. The proposal would make New Zealand`s tobacco retail sector one of the smallest in the world. “It`s not an easy solution or a light switch” to say: “OK, let`s do it. “It means a lot of support from communities, government and the tobacco control community,” he said. “Having an example in New Zealand will really help this discussion. The law, which includes other restrictions on smoking, would make it illegal to sell or offer tobacco products to people born after a certain date. New Zealand`s proposals, which include reducing nicotine levels in tobacco products and reducing the number of retailers selling them, are due to be debated in Parliament in the coming weeks. The ruling Labour Party majority means that legislation that does not affect the sale of vaping products is likely to be passed. But this is not the first place to experiment with an age-based tobacco ban.
The law is expected to be passed next year, and if it does, anyone under the age of 14 will not be allowed to buy tobacco in New Zealand for the rest of their life. New Zealand will be the first country in the world to implement a “tobacco-free generation” policy, its government has announced, banning the sale of tobacco to all those born after 2008 from next year. On Tuesday, the government unveiled new laws aimed at creating a smoke-free generation and introducing an ever-higher buying age so teens can never legally buy cigarettes. The new measures discussed in Parliament are seen as a world first – and have sparked a mix of praise for innovation and concerns about their unexamined nature. In addition to changing the age of smokers, they would significantly reduce nicotine in cigarettes, forcing them to be sold only in specialty tobacco stores rather than in mom-and-pop stores and supermarkets. The plan is “kind of an experiment,” said Professor Chris Bullen, director of the National Institute for Health Innovation at the University of Auckland. But he said that, given the likely public health benefits, “the tobacco control, research and advocacy community is fully behind the government when it comes to taking quite innovative approaches here.” Standardized (plain) packaging is required for all tobacco products. The packaging must be of a standard colour, size and shape and must contain only certain information and warnings prescribed in a standard font. On cigarettes, a health warning illustrated in English must cover 75% of the front of the package; an illustrated health notice in English and te reo Maori and the Cessation Line logo must cover 100% of the back of the package; and an additional warning must occupy one side of the package. Warning requirements vary for other tobacco products.
The researchers agreed that sweeping bans, such as the one proposed in New Zealand, should be accompanied by other tobacco reduction measures to maximize effectiveness. “As they get older, they and future generations will never be able to legally buy tobacco,” said Deputy Health Minister Ayesha Verrall, a doctor and TB specialist.