Lawmakers in New Zealand have reportedly proposed plans that could lead to a ban on tobacco purchases for anyone born after 2004 in an effort to eradicate smoking by 2025. The Guardian reports that proposals under consideration could lead to a generation without smokers.
Also on the table is the significant reduction in the amount of nicotine permitted in tobacco products, limiting where they can be sold and determining how much they cost. The country’s health minister says that 4,500 New Zealanders die from smoking each year and that “business as usual” won’t lower that number.
Advocates of the new proposals argue that smoking targets depressed communities, including native populations, and needs to be controlled. Critics worry that limiting cigarette sales would hurt small stores that depend on tobacco sales and create a black market for smokes.
One conservative political party expressed concern that weakening the strength of tobacco products could lead to higher consumption by habitual smokers needing their fix.
Moves by the government to limit smoking has also lit a match under skeptics who wonder if taking a drag is a personal choice, regardless the medical downside. Tobacco consumption reportedly accounts for a quarter of New Zealand’s cancer casualties.
New Zealand parliamentarian Ayesha Verrall from Wellington said ongoing pushes create a “smokefree nation” by 2025 have been underway for the past decade.
