New Zealand: The number of smokers in New Zealand has decreased to a record low as the nation advances with ambitious intentions to eradicate smoking in a generation.
Recent data revealed that the percentage of daily smokers has decreased to 8 percent, the lowest level ever recorded and a decrease from 9.4 percent in 2017.
Dr. Ayesha Verrall, Associate Minister of Health, remarked that, the “government’s plan to reduce smoking is working.”
The number of people smoking fell by 56,000 over the past year, despite the pressures and stress of the pandemic, and smoking rates are now half of what they were 10 years ago.
Dr. Ayesha Verrall shared.
If the general smoking rate in New Zealand drops below 8 percent, it will be among the lowest in the world. Australia’s rate is 10.7 percent, the UK’s is 13.8 percent, and the most recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average was 16.5 percent. However, it’s likely that a significant number of New Zealanders who give up smoking will move to vaping. According to the most recent data, daily vape users increased more than daily smokers decreased: 8.3 percent of adults now vape daily, up from 6.2 percent in the previous year.
The New Zealand government adopted laws in August that was a first for the entire world to prevent the next generation from ever being able to legally purchase cigarettes. A “smoke-free generation” will be produced by the legislation, which has passed its first reading and established a constantly increasing purchasing age that prevents teenagers from ever being able to purchase cigarettes legally. Those measures are considered a world first and have attracted a lot of praise for innovation and concerns at their untested nature.
New Zealand’s rules not only reduce the amount of nicotine in cigarettes and restrict their sale to specialist tobacco shops rather than corner stores and supermarkets, but they also boost the legal smoking age. The restrictions are a part of a bigger initiative to make New Zealand smoke-free by 2025, which the government intends to have in place by the end of the current year. The nation has expanded funding for health initiatives and program and introduced cessation services tailored specifically to Mori and Pacific peoples.