New Zealand announced it plans to ban the sales of cigarettes to the next generation as part of the government’s new plan to make the country smokefree. “This is a historic day for the health of our people,” Associate Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall said during the announcement of the Smokefree 2025 Action Plan on Dec. 9. To ensure that young Kiwis never start smoking, the government will make it an offence to sell or supply smoked tobacco products to young people. People aged 14 when the law comes into effect will never be able to legally purchase tobacco, Verrall said. The bill will be introduced into parliament in June 2022 and is expected to pass in December 2022 (pdf). If it goes through parliament as planned, the implementation of a “smokefree generation” will be achieved in 2027. The new measures are being introduced because smoking is the leading cause …