New Zealand will ban everyone born after 2009 from buying tobacco to achieve a smoke-free country

Future generations of New Zealanders will be banned from buying tobacco.

This is one of the measures included in the package of anti-smoking laws approved by the New Zealand Parliament on Tuesday, which place the country at the forefront among the most restrictive against this legal drug.

The new rule prohibits selling tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, who is now 13 years old, with penalties of up to 150,000 New Zealand dollars (about 91,000 euros).

The inability to buy tobacco will last a lifetime.

The legislation will also force tobacco companies to reduce the amount of nicotine in their products and cut the number of outlets by 90%, which will reduce the number of authorized retailers from the current 6,000 to about 600 over the next year.

“This legislation accelerates progress toward a smoke-free future.

Thousands of people will live longer, healthier lives and the health system will be better off not having to treat diseases caused by smoking, such as many cancers, heart attacks, strokes, amputations," said Deputy Health Minister Ayesha. Verall, in a statement.

New Zealand, which already has one of the lowest adult smoking rates among the 38 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, is further tightening anti-smoking laws as part of a government push to make the country "smoke-free" by 2025.

Only Bhutan, which banned cigarette sales in 2010, will have stricter anti-smoking laws.

The number of adult New Zealanders who smoke has halved over the past decade to 8%, with 56,000 quitting last year.

Verrall said the legislation would help close the gap in life expectancy between Maori and non-Maori citizens, which can be as high as 25% for women.

The percentage of smokers among the Maori population is higher than among the general.

The right-wing Liberal party ACT New Zealand, which holds ten of the 120 seats in parliament, condemned the law, saying it would crack down on small shops and force people into the black market for tobacco.