Denmark announced measures on Tuesday to ensure that future generations are free of tobacco use, including the possibility of prohibiting the sale of cigarettes and other nicotine products to anybody born after 2010.
“Our hope is that no one born after 2010 will ever start smoking or using nicotine-based goods,” said Health Minister Magnus Heunicke.
“We are prepared, if required, to prohibit the sale (of these products) to this generation by gradually raising the age limit,” he said.
To buy cigarettes or e-cigarettes, Danes must be 18 years old.
Around 31% of 15-to-29-year-olds smoke, according to the health ministry.
In the 5.8 million-strong Nordic country, smoking is the leading cause of cancer, accounting for 13,600 deaths per year.
According to a poll commissioned by the Danish Cancer Society, 64 percent of those polled supported the Danish government’s plan, with 67 percent of those aged 18 to 34 supporting it.
New Zealand announced in December a ground-breaking plan to prohibit the sale of tobacco by gradually raising the age limit until 2027.
The Social Democratic government in Denmark has also stated that it intends to address the issue of youth alcohol drinking.
It will raise the legal drinking age from 16 to 18 for drinks with less than 16.5 percent alcohol.
