New Zealand presents a plan to ban the sale of tobacco to future generations

(CNN) – New Zealand plans to ban the sale of tobacco to future generations so that they can never legally buy it in the country.

Under the new proposed legislation, the legal age of 18 to purchase tobacco will be progressively raised, Deputy Health Minister Dr. Ayesha Verrall said at a news conference Thursday.

“We want to make sure that young people never start smoking, so we will make it a crime to sell or supply smoking tobacco products to new groups of young people,” he said. “People who are 14 years old when the law takes effect will never be able to legally buy tobacco.”

The government plans to bring the bill to Parliament in 2022 as part of a campaign to reduce the prevalence of smoking in the community to less than 5% by 2025.

According to government data, 13.4% of New Zealand’s adult population is classified as smokers. That is down from 18.2% in 2011/12.

But between 4,000 and 5,000 people die each year from smoking-related illnesses, according to the Health Ministry.

“Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in New Zealand, causing one in four cancers,” Verrall said. “Smoking-related harms are particularly prevalent in our low-income, Pacific and Maori communities.”

Anti-smoking campaign in New Zealand, file image. (Photo by Wayne Wilson / Getty Images)

About 32% of Maori women smoke, the highest rate in the country, according to the ministry. The rate is 25% for Maori men.

Along with the proposed law, the government will prioritize “practical support measures” to help smokers quit, Verrall added.

These include ensuring that only very low-nicotine products can be made, imported, and sold, and stricter restrictions on tobacco advertising. There will also be a significant reduction in the number of stores that can sell tobacco products.

The legislation does not cover vaping, which remains popular with young people in New Zealand. A November report from the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ found that nearly 20% of students vape on a daily basis, and 57% feel it is having an adverse effect on their health.