More countries have announced the “Tobacco Endgame” plan, moving beyond regulating smoking to completely banning smoking. “Tobacco Endgame” involves a package of strengthened tobacco control measures to reduce smoking to the minimal level (commonly 5% or below) by a target date and eventually eliminate smoking. New Zealand has recently announced a long-term plan to prevent young people from starting smoking and eventually eliminate tobacco from the next generations in the country.
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths, killing about 5,000 people a year in New Zealand. The Government announced the “Smokefree Aoteara 2025” in 2010, aiming to reduce the smoking prevalence to less than 5% by 2025. The current smoking prevalence of New Zealanders aged 15 years or above is 11.6%, and majority of smokers started smoking before the age 18. New Zealand is now taking a more aggressive step to curb the tobacco epidemic, and planning to make the sales and supply of tobacco illegal. The new measures shall include reduction of authorized tobacco retailers starting from 2024, reduction of nicotine level in tobacco products in 2025, and creation of a smoke-free generation by imposing a lifelong ban on tobacco sales and supply starting from 2027. Under the proposed legislation, it will become illegal to sell or supply tobacco to people aged 14 years or below since 2027. The legal age will increase each year, keeping t tobacco away from this and the following cohorts. The proposed legislation will be introduced into the parliament in June 2022, and is expected to pass by the end of 2022.
Most smokers start smoking during adolescence. According to the Thematic Household Survey Report No.70, nearly 70% of daily smokers in Hong Kong started weekly smoking at or under age 19. Smokers who initiate smoking at younger age are more likely to have nicotine addiction and less likely to quit smoking. COSH urges the Hong Kong Government to implement aggressive strategies to prevent smoking initiation in young people and formulate a timeline for a total ban on smoking to create a smoke-free environment for the next generation.
Source: Reuters