New Zealand law aims to stamp out smoking – BBC News By BBC News

New Zealand is proposing. Some of the toughest anti-smoking laws in the world to try to Stamp Out The Habit, under the plans. Anyone born after 2008, will – but legally be able to buy cigarettes in their lifetime. It’s part of a package of measures including reducing the numbers of licensed. Tobacco shops from 8,000 to 500, convenience stores, have warned that the move could break create a black market for tobacco as Lucy gray reports that

The moment you have to be 18 to buy cigarettes in New Zealand, but under planned new laws, anyone under the age of 14 will never be able to buy cigarettes. Legally. The age limit will then be increased every year, until the whole country is smoke free. We want to make sure young people never start smoking. So, we are legislating for a smoke-free Generation, by making it an offence to sell or Supply. Tobacco products to those aged 14, when the law comes into effect.

As they age they and future Generations will never legally be able to purchase tobacco because the truth is there is no safe age to start smoking the government particularly wants to help Maori smokers. Kick the habit Apartments. That’s a good news because right now there’s a lot of young kids walking around on smoking it off and public action. How hard they getting this function? That it’s also good for myself. Chick was safe.

Sucks in more money. When I end up, people still want to smoke while they can just grow their own, which they had. Maybe it’s a good idea because I didn’t say smoking is bad for you and it’s really hard to quit. So being a smoker, you know, and going through all this I know that so maybe it’s a good thing at the end of the egg is forcing people to sort of quit or cut down a little bit. So, I mean, I have nothing really against that the new legislation being introduced to Parliament next year. Will also only allow cigarettes with low levels of nicotine.

And reduce the number of shops selling them vaping won’t be affected. The aim is to get all ages to stub out the Habit by 2025, Lucy gray, BBC News. Will it work? Let’s talk to Professor, Jamie Brown from the University, College London’s, tobacco, and alcohol, research group. So, as a behavioral psychologist a scientist, what do you think this kind of these measures will have, will they create a black market or will? They indeed, stop future Generations?

Smoking. Thanks. Good afternoon. Well, first of all, I think the New Zealand government is to be commended for this really bold new strategy to accelerate progress, towards their smoke-free Target. They recognized that allowing four and a half thousand people to die. Each year in New Zealand from diseases caused by smoking is completely unacceptable. Equivalent figure for the UK is about 80,000 a year because of our much larger population while the world.

Health Organization estimates. That smoking will cause a billion deaths a century. So I raised those stats just to put this kind of discussion in that context about the urgency and the seriousness of the situation with smoking and the business as usual really shouldn’t be acceptable. So I think yeah, New Zealand’s plan has a good chance of working and will certainly be watching on has potential for Global implications for helping us to understand what policies could really help change that trajectory, but you talk

About it being commendable, but those who would say that this is a nanny State. It’s just, it’s stepped too far. How much are you push back against that? Then if people are saying well look, you know, it’s for us to decide. Ultimately. Sure. Well as you heard from some of the Clips in the package, just before we have to remember that, we know from the research, the vast majority of people who smoke want to be smoke-free. They usually started smoking during childhood and the majority. Seriously regret that

Decision, but they find it incredibly difficult to stop because of how uniquely addictive cigarettes are. And if they’re unable to quit successfully, then about a half of all smokers will die from their smoking. So this new plan instead will seriously restrict access and help people get rid of their this intolerable burden and prevent many young people from Ever taking up in the first place. And also it was, it was made clear in the package, but it’s very important to be clear that this isn’t a

And for all smokers, so people are already smoking. It’s intended to phase out smoking by making illegal next year if that anyone born after the age of 2008, Who see would be only 14 at the time of the legislation from ever being able to legally purchase cigarettes. So the policy isn’t about criminalizing use or smoking. It’s about restricting access, make it illegal to sell cigarettes. Those generation of young people. I think that’s a really important distinction, but it’s still authorities deciding.

You can and can’t do and I wonder what if they decide that actually alcohol abuse. We’ve got it’s too damaging. That’s the next thing that could potentially have these kind of measures put against them. Where do you stop? Well, I think you have to remember that cigarettes are an anachronism. That is they belong to the past and how uniquely dangerous? They are people. You always hear these new stories about as dangerous as smoking, but people forget just how unique smoking is. And there’s no way that a new product coming tomorrow.

Now, with all the safety standards, we expect of products would be allowed to be sold. If it killed half, the people who use that product as intended throughout their lives. And it’s not a complete prohibition of nicotine, which I think is an important Point as well, which is a key reason people smoke. Instead. They’re pursuing a risk proportionate approach. Whereby, they’re making by Far and Away the most dangerous way of consuming nicotine that is smoking cigarettes, much less available much less attractive, much more expensive.

Pensive while not placing, such restrictive measures on alternative sources of nicotine. Okay, Professor Brown, fascinating to hear your thoughts from UCL. Thank you so much for your time. Thanks.