May 31 is World Smokefree Day and this year’s theme is We’re Backing You, highlighting that the journey towards being smokefree is a team effort and takes will and dedication as well as support and compassion from whānau, friends, communities, and health professionals. By working together and supporting people to stop smoking we can all achieve the Smokefree 2025 vision that we have been working towards for the last twelve years.
Big changes are afoot in Aotearoa in relation to the sale and purchase of tobacco products.
On 1 January 2023, changes to the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act came into force. The major changes this legislation will bring about is the restriction of the supply of tobacco products across the motu, the introduction of very low nicotine cigarettes and the creation of a smokefree generation.
This legislation prohibits anyone from selling or supplying smoked tobacco products to people born on or after 1 January 2009, to prevent this and future generations from smoking. It will come into full force on 1 January 2027 when these rangatahi start to turn 18 years old, the current legal age for buying tobacco products.
From July 2024 there will be a huge change to how people in Aotearoa can buy tobacco products, with a sharp reduction in the number of retailers who are approved to sell them. Across Aotearoa we will see a decrease from roughly 6000 premises that can sell tobacco products down to roughly 600. To put that in context we can use Dunedin as an example. Currently there are 117 tobacco retailers. This will decrease to 4 by July 2024.
The legislation will also mandate the reduction in nicotine levels in cigarettes from April 1, 2025, from 10-15mg per cigarette down to a nicotine level that does not exceed 0.8mg/g. By reducing this highly addictive substance in each cigarette we can support people to quit and reduce the addictive nature of cigarettes.
Adult smoking rates have dropped to 8% but rates are still high among Māori (19.9%) and Pacifica (18.2%). New Zealand’s world leading smokefree legislation will make it harder to access tobacco products, decrease the amount of nicotine in cigarettes, and ultimately create the first smokefree generation in Aotearoa.
Debby Newton, our Smokefree Health Promotion Advisor, recently discussed the move towards a Smokefree Generation with local Dunedin newspaper, The Star. You can ready the full article here.
Resources for the public
Southern Stop Smoking Services provide free face-to-face support to quit smoking. You can learn more by calling them on 0800 925 242, emailing admin@stopsmoking.nz or by visiting them on their website.
Quitline is a free telephone service offering support and advice to stop smoking. You can call them on 0800 778 778 or visit their website quit.org.nz
