At the turn of the year, many people make a decision to quit smoking.

In distant New Zealand, people who are now up to the age of 14 should no longer be able to choose whether they want to smoke or not.

Since the beginning of the year, the legislator there has prohibited young people who were born on or after January 1, 2009 from ever buying tobacco in their lives.

From 2027, when this generation reaches majority, the minimum age for buying cigarettes will also be raised by one year every year, so that all subsequent generations will never reach the corresponding age.

As a result, the legal sale of tobacco gradually phased out over the years.

Till Fähnders

Political correspondent for Southeast Asia.

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In this way, the country wants to implement its plan that by 2025 less than five percent of the population will use tobacco and the country can thus be declared virtually smoke-free.

The regulation, which is unique in the world, was passed by Parliament in Wellington in mid-December.

It envisages other changes that will also affect older generations of smokers.

The number of shops that are allowed to sell tobacco products will be reduced from around 6,000 to 600.

Only specialist shops and no longer corner kiosks and supermarkets are allowed to sell cigarettes.

Less nicotine for less addiction potential

In addition, the nicotine content in the available products has been drastically reduced over the years.

Such nicotine-reduced cigarettes, which only contain up to 0.8 milligrams of nicotine per gram of tobacco instead of 15 milligrams of nicotine, have a lower addiction potential.

Health politician Ayesha Verrall said when Parliament passed the measures that this day would go down in history.

The law will save lives.

"Thousands of people will live longer, healthier lives," she said.

The healthcare system could save five billion dollars because various cancers, heart attacks, strokes and amputations caused by smoking would be less common.

While experts speak of a paradigm shift, critics consider the measures to be inappropriate.

They fear that the trade in tobacco products will shift to the black market.

They also expect negative effects for the retail trade.

In any case, New Zealand remains at the forefront in tackling tobacco use and its consequences.

Tobacco advertising has been banned there for decades, and a pack of cigarettes now costs more than 20 euros.

Already, New Zealand has one of the lowest smoking rates in the world, with eight percent of adults smoking daily.

The measures are nevertheless considered necessary by a majority of citizens, as thousands of people continue to die from the effects of smoking.

The Maori, the native people of New Zealand, are particularly badly affected, among whom smoking rates are significantly higher than in the rest of the population.