According to the British "Guardian" report on the 27th, in 2022, New Zealand passed a groundbreaking bill that bans people born after January 2009 from buying cigarettes for life, otherwise they will be severely punished. The law aims to ensure that young New Zealanders remain tobacco-free throughout their lives and move towards a plan to become "tobacco-free".
The anti-smoking law was originally planned to be implemented from July 2024. Luxon said New Zealand would remove the laws before they come into effect to prevent opportunities for black market trading. He also acknowledged that taxes generated from cigarette sales would bring significant revenue to the government.
Although Luxon said the government would continue to reduce smoking rates through education and other smoking policies. But public health experts expressed alarm at the policy reversal, saying it could lead to up to 5,000 deaths a year.
Anti-smoking groups also criticized the move as a "national step backwards", saying "this is a huge loss for New Zealand's public health and a huge victory for the tobacco industry, whose profits will come at the expense of New Zealanders' lives."
