New Zealand’s newly appointed Prime Minister has lifted his world’s first smoking ban in a controversial bid to fund tax cuts.
The legislation, which was not introduced last year under former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, was intended to ban the sale of cigarettes to children born after 2008.
The law would ban anyone under the age of 14 from buying a cigarette during their lifetime, in an ambitious step towards a completely smoke-free New Zealand by 2025.
However, New Zealand’s new Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, along with some lawmakers, has scrapped the smoking ban to fund tax cuts.
He believes that the general ban on the sale of cigarettes to the younger generation will lead to new problems ‘an opportunity for the creation of a black market, which would be largely untaxed’.
New Zealand’s newly appointed Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has lifted a smoking ban aimed at deterring children from buying tobacco products
The legislation aims to ban the sale of tobacco to children born after 2008, with children under the age of 14 prohibited from purchasing a cigarette during their lifetime.
Mr Luxon was sworn in as New Zealand’s prime minister on Monday and said improving the economy is his top priority.
The 53-year-old former businessman is leading a conservative coalition after his National Party struck a deal with two smaller parties on Friday following last month’s general election.
Mr Luxon said the cigarette ban would “create an opportunity for the emergence of a black market, which would be largely untaxed.”
Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable deaths in New Zealand, with around 5,000 people dying every year (or 13 people per day) due to smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke.
Anti-smoking group Health Coalition Aotearoa – the Maori name for New Zealand – said the policy’s withdrawal was an insult to the country.
“This is a major loss for public health and a huge win for the tobacco industry, whose profits will soar at the cost of Kiwi lives,” the group said in a statement.
The legislation was praised around the world and included measures such as lowering nicotine levels in cigarettes and limiting the number of tobacco outlets.
The legislation was introduced by former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in an ambitious move to make the country smoke-free by 2025.