ＮＺ、たばこ販売禁止へ　２０２７年から段階的に

【ウェリントンＡＦＰ＝時事】ニュージーランドは９日、たばこ製品を購入できる年齢を段階的に引き上げることで、喫煙を事実上禁止する計画を発表した。世界初の試みとされており、現在１０代前半の若者は生涯にわたり合法的にたばこが買えなくなる。（写真は資料写真）
　ニュージーランドでは現在、１８歳未満へのたばこ販売が禁止されている。アイシャ・バーラル副保健相は、２０２７年からこの年齢を毎年１歳ずつ引き上げると説明。現在の若年層や、将来の世代がたばこを合法的に購入できないようにすることで、喫煙を始めさせないようにするとし、「たばこを吸い始めるのに安全な年齢などない」と述べた。
　バーラル氏によると、同国政府はさらに、たばこを販売する場所を制限し、ニコチン濃度の低い製品のみの流通を許可する法律も制定し、依存の抑制を目指す意向だ。
　ニュージーランドは、１９９０年にたばこ企業のスポーツの後援を禁止し、２００４年にはバーでの喫煙を禁止。バーラル氏は今回の措置について、たばこ規制の世界的先駆者としての同国の立場を維持するものであると話した。
　政府は２０２５年までに喫煙者数を５％以下にする目標を掲げている。達成することができれば、医療保険制度への支出を約４３００億円削減できると見込んでいる。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/12/10-09:01）

New Zealand announced plans Thursday to effectively ban smoking by progressively lifting the age at which tobacco products can be bought, in a world-first bid that means today's young teens will never be able to buy cigarettes legally.
New Zealand currently outlaws tobacco sales to under-18s and Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said that from 2027, the age ban would increase by one year annually to keep the cohort smoke free.
We want to make sure people never start smoking... as they age, they and future generations will never be able to legally purchase tobacco, because the truth is there is no safe age to start smoking, she said.
She added that the government would also legislate to restrict where tobacco is sold and only allow products with low nicotine levels into the market, to reduce the prospects of people becoming addicted.
Verrall said the measures maintained New Zealand's role as a global trailblazer in restricting tobacco, with actions such as banning cigarette sponsorship of sports in 1990 and banning smoking from bars in 2004.
This is a historic day for the health of our people, she said.
Smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death in New Zealand and causes one in four cancers.
She said the health toll was particularly heavy on Maori and Pacific communities, where smoking rates are around double the 13.5 percent recorded in the rest of the population.
The government aims to reduce that to five percent by 2025 and estimates achieving the goal would save the health system NZ$5.5 (US$3.6 billion) in future expenditure.
Lobby group Action on Smoking and Health said the planned changes meant that was now a realistic prospect, hailing the government for challenging Big Tobacco.
This collection of complementary measures will be the envy of countries struggling to combat the death and misery caused by smoked tobacco, ASH chairman Robert Beaglehole said.
We will lead the world in tobacco control.
British American Tobacco New Zealand said the measures were untested, unproven and without any scientific evidence of effectiveness.
The combined impacts are effectively a gradual prohibition, which simply pushes supply underground to the black market, it said in a statement.