Under-16 ban sought

Press, 14 March 1985, Page 16

Under-16 ban sought

PA Wellington An anti-smoking group, Action on Smoking and Health, is preparing a private member’s bill to ban the sales of cigarettes to children aged under 16 and to legislate for stronger health warnings on tobacco packages and advertisements. Since the law banning cigarette sales to minors was repealed in 1981, New Zealand has been the only

developed country without such a law, the group said. “We are particularly keen to see this law reintroduced because there is a great deal of new research showing the addictive nature of nicotine. More than 60 per cent of the annual cigarette deaths are among people who became addicted to nicotine as adolescents,” said a spokeswoman, Ms Virginia Horrocks.

"We have never had legislation for health warnings.

“All the Australian states have legislation but New Zealand’s warnings are the result of a voluntary arrangement with the tobacco companies. “What is required is larger health warnings which say exactly what diseases are caused by cigarettes-”