Student handout — Discussion & Debate
Korea's generation-ban cigarette law splits the classroom
Discussion: A Cigarette Ban for One Generation
Background New Zealand passed a law in 2022 saying that anyone born after 2008 could never legally buy cigarettes, not at 20, not at 60. New Zealand's government cancelled the law in 2024 before it started. South Korea has discussed a similar law more than once since 2021, aimed at people born in 2009 or later.
Vocabulary
- generation (n.): all people born around the same years
- ban (v./n.): to make something illegal
- black market (n.): illegal buying and selling
- repeal (v.): to officially cancel a law
- arbitrary (adj.): based on chance, not a clear reason
Discussion questions
- Is it fair for the law to apply to only one birth year and not another?
- If your older sibling can buy cigarettes but you never can, is that fair?
- Would a ban like this actually stop people from smoking, or push it underground?
- Should Korea also do this for alcohol? Vaping? Gambling?
- New Zealand cancelled its version. What does that tell us?
Debate roles
- Team A: Argue Korea should pass this law.
- Team B: Argue Korea should not.
Build two arguments your team didn't think of at first.