We realized the other day when we had to explain to a 3 year old what a cigarette was, things have changed.
Indeed, the era of cigarette smoking has been waning for a few decades now, but only the country of Bhutan has implemented a strict ban on tobacco thus far. That is set to change in the next few years, as New Zealand starts to bans cigarettes.
“We want to make sure young people never start smoking so we will make it an offence to sell or supply smoked tobacco products to new cohorts of youth. People aged 14 when the law comes into effect will never be able to legally purchase tobacco.”
It’s quite the change from decades past, when seemingly everyone smoked, and it was welcomed in restaurants, theaters, and even airplanes. Can you imagine if someone lit up a cigarette on an airplane today?
The New Zealand law will surely not be the only one, as dozens of countries have strict rules on who can buy cigarettes, and how they can and can’t be marketed.