In a bid to eventually phase out smoking, New Zealand will ban the sale of tobacco to its next generation, reports BBC.

Anyone born after 2008 will no longer be able to buy cigarettes or tobacco products in their lifetime, under a law expected to be enacted in 2022. "We want to make sure young people never start smoking," Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verall was quoted as saying.
The move is part of a comprehensive crackdown on smoking announced by New Zealand's health ministry on 9 December 2021. Doctors and other health experts in the country have welcomed the "world-leading" reforms, which will reduce access to tobacco and restrict nicotine levels in cigarettes, the report said.
However, others have warned that the move may create a black market for tobacco – something that is acknowledged in health ministry's official impact statement, noting "customs will need more resource to enforce border control".

New Zealand has set a target of reducing its national smoking rate to 5 per cent by 2025, with the aim of eventually eliminating it altogether. Currently 13 per cent of New Zealand's adults smoke, with the rate much higher among the indigenous Maori population.
As part of the crackdown announced on 9 December, the government also introduced major tobacco controls, including significant restrictions on the sale of cigarettes in supermarkets and corner shops. The number of shops authorised to sell cigarettes will be drastically reduced from about 8,000 now to less than 500, officials said.