New Zealand’s new government scraps world-leading smoking ban to fund tax cuts
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A year after passing a world-leading smoking ban designed to save thousands of lives and prevent new generations of young adults from smoking, New Zealand has announced a u-turn to help pay for tax cuts, infuriating public health officials and anti-tobacco groups.
As any smoker will tell you, quitting tobacco isn’t easy – and it’s something New Zealand’s new government just isn’t prepared to do right now.
A year after passing a world-leading smoking ban designed to save thousands of lives and prevent new generations of young adults from smoking, New Zealand has announced a u-turn to help pay for tax cuts, infuriating public health officials and anti-tobacco groups.
Introduced last year, the anti-smoking law banned the sale of tobacco to anyone born or after January 1, 2009.
The legislation was due to be implemented by July 2024 and would have included harsh penalties for violations such as fines of up to NZ$150,000 (US$96,000).
The country’s new Prime Minister Chris Luxon, whose conservative National Party entered a coalition alliance with the populist New Zealand First party and the libertarian ACT New Zealand party following elections in October, defended the controversial move, saying he disagreed with parts of the policy and argued that a ban would result in a black-market boom.
Luxon said smoking rates in the country had been on the decline and reiterated that he remained committed to reducing tobacco use.
Speaking to CNN affiliate Radio New Zealand, Luxon said his government would continue education programs and “encourage people to take up vapes as a cessation tool.”
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