New Zealand Passes World’s 1st Law To Ban Smoking For Next-Gen: Report

In a bid to curb smoking for the next generation and make the country smoke-free by 2025, New Zealand on Tuesday 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 its final reading on Tuesday evening and will go into effect in 2023, as New Zealand strives to become “smoke-free” by 2025.

Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall stated, “Thousands of people will live longer, healthier lives, and the health system will be $5 billion better off from not needing to treat the illnesses caused by smoking, such as numerous types of cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and amputations.”

A slew of other measures will also be taken to make smoking less affordable and accessible, including reducing the legal amount of nicotine in tobacco products and forcing them to be sold only through specialty tobacco stores, rather than corner stores and supermarket, the Guardian reported.