Smokefree 2025:govt unveils ambitious plans to meet target

The government has revealed how it plans to make New Zealand smoke-free by 2025, and some of its proposals have people scratching their heads. They include prohibiting filters for cigarettes, limiting the sale of tobacco to pharmacies, and progressively increasing the minimum purchase age so that people who are under 18 next year will never be able to buy cigarettes. The action plan has been met with a mixture of responses - many dairy owners, for example, say it could spell an end to their businesses, while quit-smoking group ASH welcomed it, calling it "the world's most ambitious plan for a smoke-free nation". Ellie Jay spoke with the chair of Health Coalition Aotearoa Boyd Swinburn.