WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- New Zealand on Tuesday passed into law a unique plan to phase out tobacco smoking by imposing a lifetime ban on young people buying cigarettes.“There is no good reason to allow a product to be sold that kills half the people that use it,” Associate Minister of Health Dr. Ayesha Verrall told lawmakers in Parliament.“And I can tell you that we will end this in the future, as we pass this legislation.”She said the health system would save billions of dollars from not needing to treat illnesses caused by smoking, such as cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and amputations.“We stand opposed to this bill because it's a bad bill and its bad policy, its that straightforward and simple,” said Brooke van Velden, ACT’s deputy leader.The law does not affect vaping, which has already become more popular than smoking in New Zealand."