In a bid to curb smoking for the next generation and make the country smoke-free by 2025, New Zealand passed the world’s first legislation prohibiting the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009.
According to the Guardian, the number of stores legally permitted to sell cigarettes will be reduced by a tenth, from 6,000 to 600 across the country. The law passed will go into effect in 2023, as New Zealand strives to become “smoke-free” by 2025.
New Zealand’s smoking rate is already at historic lows, with just 8% of adults smoking daily according to government statistic released in November – down from 9.4% last year.
It is hoped that the Smokefree Environments Bill will reduce that number to less than 5% by 2025, with the eventual aim of eliminating the practice altogether.
