Complex laws and a lack of enforcement are allowing black market tobacconists to trade with impunity,leading to myriad problems affecting public health.
Health Minister Mark Butler has told the Labor caucus that the tobacco industry has found a new way to develop a generation of nicotine addicts.
But Health Minister Mark Butler’s biggest battle won’t be against cigarettes. This time around,it’s the runaway vaping market that appeals to the tobacco industry and has the health sector most concerned.
Between them,three men crammed more than 130,000 illicit cigarettes into suitcases and tried to smuggle them through Melbourne Airport to sell on the black market. But they were nabbed in a Border Force crackdown.
The use of illicit drugs has fallen across the state,with one exception – methylamphetamine,the latest wastewater data shows.
The high price of cigarettes has convinced many Australians to quit but also created a blackmarket in illicit tobacco.
New Zealand-style laws to eradicate tobacco would be a game changer in closing the gap between the life expectancy of Indigenous and white Australians,experts say.
While the overall number of users is small,the proportion needing intensive intervention is huge. In fact only one other drug is causing similar levels of harm.
While convenience stores will continue to happily sell you deadly cigarettes,the state’s move to stamp out vape sales will only help the black market thrive.
Trudeau’s addictions minister said the new messages were aimed at young people who missed graphic warnings on packages when offered cigarettes at parties.
To maintain profits and meet their obligations to shareholders,the tobacco industry needs to addict a new generation to nicotine.