Sensations English Logo
LEVEL C1

Shadowing the newsreader

Listen to the newsreader read out each line and then practise saying it. Record your own voice line by line and submit your voiceover.

Hide View

New Zealand has moved ahead outlawing tobacco sale for anyone born after 1 January 2009 in a bid to create a smoke-free generation.

The move is the first made by any nation and has polarised public opinions.

Backers defend the new regulations stating that not only will these measures mitigate addiction and lung cancer death rates but will also see government expenditure on treatments of tobacco related ailments plummet.

New Zealand's associate health minister Ayesha Verrall stated, 'Thousands of people will live longer, healthier lives and the health system will be 5 billion New Zealand dollars better off.'

Accompanying the law are new restrictions on the nicotine tobacco content in products and accessibility, forcing them to be sold only by 600 specialist tobacco stores nationwide, down from 6,000, rather than supermarkets and convenience shops.

With an already low smoking population, New Zealand has experienced a significant drop from 2021's 9.4 percent to a current 8 percent.

However, the nation's Maori community still sees higher rates of smokers, some 19.9 percent.

Nevertheless, the government remains resolute in their attempt to plummet the country's cumulative smoking rate to 5 percent by 2025.

Meanwhile, vaping has been left unscathed by the slew of new regulations.

Current vaping rates jumped by 2.1 percent in the previous year and is particularly popular amongst young adults.

There are mounting fears that the new measures will give birth to a black market trade such as illegal trafficking of tobacco.

As one convenience store lobbyist, Sunny Kaushal highlights, 'there's going to be a crime wave.

Gangs and criminals will fill the gap.'

However, health minister Verrall has come to the defence of the legislation and slammed tobacco companies for maintaining their market share of deadly and addictive products.

It 'is disgusting…We have more regulations…on the safety of the sale of a sandwich than on a cigarette.'

REGISTER NOW

Get videos, articles, games and study tools!

Learn at six levels from A1 to C1
Or sign up with your Email
By clicking “Sign Up” above you are accepting our Terms of Service & Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign in

Sign up with email

Enter the following information to create your account.
All sign up options

Log in Or create an account

or

Forgot password?

reset password or login

Crop Image

Crop preview
Add to homescreen