New Zealand to scrap world-leading anti-smoking laws

New Zealands plans for worldleading antismoking laws will be revoked Christopher Luxon confirmed Monday after being sworn in as prime minister in a move described as a huge win for the tobacco industryFormer airline boss Luxon took over six weeks after his conservative National Party won national elections ending a sixyear Labour Party reign ushered in by Jacinda ArdernLuxon 53 was sworn in as head of a new coalition government by New Zealands governorgeneral in a ceremony in the capital WellingtonIt is an honour and an awesome responsibility Luxon told reportersThe conservative said he would prioritise taming inflation and bringing down interest rates and also confirmed he would scrap a socalled generational smoking ban adopted last year that stops sales of tobacco to anyone born after 2008Luxon said the tax revenue from ongoing cigarette sales would generate welcome income for the government but also voiced concern that the ban would create a flourishing and untaxed black market Major loss The move was criticised by antismoking groups as a step back for the countryThis is a major loss for public health and a huge win for the tobacco industry whose profits will be boosted at the expense of Kiwi lives the Health Coalition Aotearoa the Maori name for New Zealand said in a statementThe antismoking legislation scheduled to start later this year was designed to almost immediately reduce the number of people using tobacco productsWhile the number of adults smoking in New Zealand is relatively low at just eight percent the previous government had envisioned a future where the country was completely smokefreeAs well as the steadily increasing age limit the new law would have slashed the number of retailers able to sell tobacco products to a maximum of just 600 nationwide a massive drop from the current figure of 6000Originally unveiled by thenPM Ardern and praised by public health experts and antismoking advocates a suite of nearidentical measures were recently announced in the United Kingdom Prudent spending Luxon focused on the need to revive the economy in his Monday remarksWe have to reduce the cost of living and get inflation under control so we can lower interest rates and make food more affordable he saidLuxon said his new government would also focus in its first few months on restoring law and order and improving public servicesThe former Labour government struggled to control the rising cost of living a global issue blamed in part on pandemicrelated supply issues and Russias invasion of UkraineThe previous prime minister Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins took over from Ardern in JanuaryShe had unexpectedly resigned calling an end to her fiveyear period in office because she no longer had enough in the tankLuxon said his cabinet would meet over the next two days to determine their plans for the first 100 days in officeNational has also said it wants to crack down on crime ban cellphones in schools and scrap planned fuel tax hikesA lot of our focus is on tackling the underlying cause of inflation Luxon saidThat means a series of things to make sure we generate savings out of the public service and that government spending is prudent Coalition government Luxon became the countrys 42nd prime minister following protracted coalition talks that came to an agreement on FridayHis National party has formed a threeparty coalition with the conservative ACT and populist New Zealand First parties to govern in the 123seat parliamentIn a first for New Zealand the deputy prime minister role will be shared in two 18month stintsNew Zealand First leader Winston Peters 78 was sworn in alongside Luxon as deputy prime minister but will hand over the role at the end of May 2025He will be replaced by ACT leader David Seymour for the remainder of the threeyear parliamentary termLuxon a father of two is a wealthy teetotaller and lover of country music who rose to prominence when he ran the national airline for seven years before entering politics