A sign indicates that the University of Auckland campus is smoke-free in Auckland, New Zealand, on Dec. 9, 2021.David Rowland/The Associated Press
New Zealand’s government believes it has come up with a unique plan to end tobacco smoking – a lifetime ban for those 14 or younger.
Under a new law the government announced Thursday and plans to pass next year, the minimum age to buy cigarettes would keep rising year after year.
That means, in theory at least, 65 years after the law takes effect, shoppers could still buy cigarettes – but only if they could prove they were at least 80 years old.
In practice, officials hope smoking will fade away decades before then. Indeed, the plan sets a goal of having less than 5 per cent of New Zealanders smoking by 2025.
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