A new bill aimed at making New Zealand smoke-free by 2025 had its first reading in parliament earlier this week.
The bill proposes three strategies:
- Reducing the nicotine content in cigarettes so that they are no longer addictive (known as “very low nicotine” (VLNC) cigarettes)
- Reducing the number of shops than can sell tobacco by 90–95 per cent
- Making it illegal to sell tobacco to people born in 2009 or later (thus creating a “smoke-free generation”)
If implemented, the bill will have a profound impact on smoking levels in the country.
Researchers at the Universities of Melbourne and Otago have estimated that the bill will save NZ$1.3 billion in health system costs over the next 20 years. These savings could be used for other things, such as mental health and dementia care.
Although the government will lose tax revenue from the reduction in tobacco sales, the overall health of the population will increase, meaning that people will be in work for longer. The researchers estimated a corresponding income gain of $1.4 billion for the country in the next 20 years, which will mean more tax revenue.
The Smoke-free Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill will now go to the Health Select Committee for submissions and review, and will return to the House in late 2022 for further debate before it is passed into law.
