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New Zealand's government believes it has come up with a new plan to end tobacco smoking: a lifetime ban for those aged 14 or younger.
新西兰政府提出了一项新的禁烟计划：对14岁及以下人群终身禁烟。
Under a new law the government plans to pass next year, the lowest age to buy cigarettes would keep rising year after year.
根据新西兰政府计划于明年通过的一项新法律，购买香烟的最低年龄将会逐年提高。
The yearly increase could mean that 65 years after the law takes effect, shoppers could still buy cigarettes--but only if they could prove they were at least 80 years old.
合法吸烟年龄逐年提高可能意味着，在该法律生效65年后，购物者仍然可以购买香烟——但前提是他们必须证明自己至少80岁。
Officials hope smoking will disappear many years before then.
官员们希望在那之前的很多年就能实现无烟计划。
The new plan sets a goal of having fewer than 5 percent of New Zealanders smoking by 2025.
新计划设定的目标是，到2025年，新西兰吸烟者的比例要低于5%。
Other parts of the plan include allowing only the sale of tobacco products with very low nicotine levels and reducing the number of stores that can sell such products.
该计划还包括只允许销售尼古丁含量非常低的烟草产品，减少可以合法出售香烟的商店数量。
The changes would be brought in over a set period of time to help sellers deal with the market changes.
这些变革措施将在一段特定的时间内实施，以帮助销售者应对市场变化。
The minimum age to buy cigarettes in New Zealand is now 18 years old.
新西兰目前购买香烟的最低年龄是18岁。
So, the lifetime smoking ban for youth would not have an effect for a few years.
因此，对青少年终身禁烟在几年内都不会产生效果。
In a discussion with The Associated Press, New Zealand's Associate Health Minister Dr. Ayesha Verrall said her work at a public hospital in Wellington involved telling several smokers they had developed cancer.
在与美联社的一次讨论中，新西兰卫生部副部长阿伊莎·韦拉尔博士说，她在惠灵顿的一家公立医院工作时告知了几名吸烟者他们患上了癌症。
"You meet, every day, someone facing the misery caused by tobacco," said Verrall, who is organizing the new plan.
韦拉尔目前在组织这个新计划，她说：“你每天都会遇到某些人正在面临着烟草所导致的痛苦。”
"The most horrible ways people die. Being short of breath, caused by tobacco."
“人们最可怕的死亡方式是呼吸急促，而呼吸急促是由烟草引起的。”
For years, smoking rates have fallen in New Zealand.
多年来，新西兰的吸烟率一直在下降。
About 11 percent of adults smoke, with 9 percent smoking every day.
大约11%的成年人吸烟，其中9%的人每天吸烟。
Daily smoking remains high among Indigenous Maori at 22 percent.
土著毛利人的日吸烟率仍然很高，为22%。
Under the government's plan, a new group would be created to help reduce smoking among Maori.
根据新西兰政府的计划，将成立一个新的组织来帮助降低毛利人的吸烟率。
Big tax increases have already been put on cigarettes in recent years.
近年来，烟草税一直在提高。
Some question why the tax levels were not increased even further.
一些人对政府没有进一步提高烟草税的原因提出质疑。
"We don't think tax increases will have any further impact," Verrall said.
韦拉尔称，“我们认为增税不会有进一步的影响。”
Verrall added the tax measures have a greater effect on lower-income people, who are more likely to smoke.
韦拉尔还说，税收措施对低收入人群会有更大的影响，因为这些人更有可能吸烟。
The new law would not deal with vaping.
新法律不会涉及电子烟。
Verrall said that tobacco smoking is far more harmful and remains a leading cause of preventable deaths in New Zealand, killing up to 5,000 people each year.
韦拉尔说，吸烟的危害要大得多，在新西兰，吸烟仍然是可预防的死亡的主要原因，其每年导致多达5000人死亡。
New Zealand's plan to ban the next generation from tobacco smoking has not been tried elsewhere, she said.
她说，新西兰禁止下一代吸烟的计划还没有在其他地方尝试过。
But she said studies have shown youth tobacco sales decrease when minimum ages are raised.
但她说，研究表明，当合法吸烟的最低年龄提高时，在青少年中的烟草销量就会下降。
In the U.S., the federal minimum age to buy tobacco products was raised from 18 to 21 two years ago.
在美国，联邦政府在两年前把购买烟草产品的最低年龄从18岁提高到了21岁。
While public health experts have generally welcomed the New Zealand plan, not everybody is happy.
虽然公共卫生专家普遍欢迎新西兰的计划，但并不是每个人都很高兴。
Sunny Kaushal said some stores could be put out of business.
桑尼·考沙尔表示，一些商店可能会停业。
Kaushal leads the Dairy and Business Owners Group, which represents nearly 5,000 corner stores and gas stations in New Zealand.
考沙尔是Dairy and Business Owners Group的主席，该集团代表着新西兰近5000家街角商店和加油站的利益。
"We all want a smoke-free New Zealand," he said.
他说：“我们都想要一个无烟的新西兰”。
"But this is going to hugely impact small businesses.
“但这将会对小企业产生巨大的影响。
It should not be done so it is destroying dairies, lives and families in the process. It's not the way."
不应该这样做，因为在这个过程中它会对乳品公司、生活和家庭造成损失。这不是解决问题的办法。”
In New Zealand, the term dairy means a small, local store.
在新西兰，“dairy”一词的意思是当地的小商店。
Kaushal said the tax increases on tobacco had already created an illegal market that gangs were operating in, and the problem would only get worse.
考沙尔说，烟草税的增加已经创造了团伙操纵的黑市，而且问题只会变得更糟。
He said smoking was already nearing its end in New Zealand and would disappear on its own.
他说，在新西兰，吸烟已呈现日薄西山的景况，日后它会自行消失的。
Kaushal described the new plan as "being driven by academics."
考沙尔形容这项新计划是“由学者推动的”。
But Verrall said she did not believe the government was going too far, because data show that most smokers want to quit anyway.
但韦拉尔表示，她认为政府做得不太过分，因为数据显示，大多数吸烟者都想戒烟。
I'm John Russell.
约翰·罗素为你播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
