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Tag: Australia

  • Australian Study Finds Vaping Triples Quit Rate for Smokers

    Australian Study Finds Vaping Triples Quit Rate for Smokers

    A clinical trial by Australia’s National Drug and Alcohol Research Center (NDARC) at the University of New South Wales found that nicotine vapes are significantly more effective than traditional nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) like gum or lozenges in helping low-income adults quit smoking.

    The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, followed over 1,000 daily smokers receiving government financial assistance. Participants were randomly assigned vaping products or nicotine gum/lozenges for eight weeks, along with motivational text messages.

    At the six-month mark, 28.4% of vape users had successfully quit smoking compared to 9.6% of those using gum or lozenges. However, the study also noted that 58% of quitters were still using vapes after six months, underscoring the need for ongoing cessation support to eventually wean off vaping as well.

    Lead researcher Dr. Ryan Courtney said the study’s real-world design — allowing participants to choose their own vape devices and e-liquid flavors — contributed to the impressive quit rates.

  • Study: Vape and Nicotine Replacements Help People Quit Smoking

    Study: Vape and Nicotine Replacements Help People Quit Smoking

    A new clinical trial led by Flinders University in Australia found that offering a variety of nicotine replacement therapies—including vapes—alongside behavioral support significantly helps people leaving rehab stay smoke-free.

    The study, published in The Lancet Public Health, tracked over 360 adults exiting detox programs. Participants received either 12 weeks of vapes or traditional nicotine therapies like patches and gum, plus Quitline counseling. After nine months, 10% of both groups remained smoke-free, deemed a success for a population with typically high-smoking and low-quit rates.

    Lead author Billie Bonevski said the findings highlight the need to integrate smoking cessation fully into addiction recovery, noting that the type of nicotine aid matters less than consistent support and choice.

  • Australian State Mandating Tobacco Licenses

    Australian State Mandating Tobacco Licenses

    New South Wales, Australia, is implementing a new mandatory tobacco licensing scheme starting July 1, requiring all retailers and wholesalers selling tobacco and non-tobacco smoking products to hold a valid annual license. The annual license will cost A$1,100 ($726), with applications opening July 1. Businesses must apply by October 1 to continue trading while their applications are assessed.

    After October 2, only approved license holders can legally sell smoking products. Penalties for non-compliance include fines of up to A$11,000 ($7,260) for individuals and A$220,000 ($145,200) for corporations.

    Click here for information about the application.

  • South Australia Shuts Down 5 Stores Under New Tobacco Laws

    South Australia Shuts Down 5 Stores Under New Tobacco Laws

    Five CBD stores have been shut down for selling illicit tobacco and vapes under South Australia’s tough new laws. Four stores received 28-day closure orders, and one was closed for 3 days after raids by the Consumer and Business Services task force. Officials had given stores a grace period but warned that there would be zero tolerance once the laws went into effect on June 5.

    The new laws allow for up to 12-month closures and fines ranging from A$700,000 ($455,000) for an individual to A$6.6 million ($4.3 million) for a “large commercial” business. Landlords may also face penalties if they allow illegal sales on their premises.

    Since July 1, authorities have seized A$34 million ($22.1 million) in illegal products during over 500 inspections.

  • Australia’s Pharmacy-Only Vape Law Backfires

    Australia’s Pharmacy-Only Vape Law Backfires

    Australia’s strict pharmacy-only vaping law has collapsed the legal vape market and empowered organized crime, with government data showing legal sales make up just 1 in 1,700 vape transactions, according to The Daily Telegraph.

    Documents obtained by the newspaper reveal that pharmacists report fewer than 6,000 legal vape sales per month, while over 10 million vapes flood the black market monthly—mostly Chinese disposables sold in convenience stores and smoke shops.

    The 2024 law allows nicotine vapes to be sold only in pharmacies, without a prescription but under tight restrictions: limited flavors, plain packaging, and no consumer-friendly branding. However, pharmacies were not consulted before the law passed, and as a result, fewer than 700 of 5,900 pharmacies stock the products.

    Health Minister Mark Butler claimed the legislation would “eliminate the black market,” however, since then, “Butler’s ‘world-leading’ vape restrictions—combined with Australia’s astonishingly high cigarette tax—have wiped out the legal vaping sector, expanded the already-huge black market, led to declining tobacco tax revenues, and encouraged organized crime participation in the vape market,” wrote Jim McDonald for Vaping 360.

    Experts and critics now argue that Australia’s approach has failed, calling for full legalization and consumer market regulation to displace the black market and reduce harm.

  • Australia’s Anti-Smoking Push Fuels Crime, Fails to Curb Smoking 

    Australia’s Anti-Smoking Push Fuels Crime, Fails to Curb Smoking 

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) condemned Australia’s tobacco control strategy as a “public health failure” that prioritizes ideology over evidence, fueling a A$6.3 billion ($4.1 billion)  illicit tobacco market while adult smoking rates remain stagnant. New data reveals one in four cigarettes consumed in Australia originates from the black market — CAPHRA says that is a direct consequence of the world’s highest tobacco taxes and restrictive vaping policies.  

    CAPHRA argues this crisis exposes a fatal flaw in Australia’s approach: prohibition without offering safer alternatives drives consumers to criminal networks rather than reducing harm. 

    “Australia’s tobacco policy doesn’t pass the pub test,” said Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA’s executive coordinator. “Sky-high cigarette prices haven’t made people quit—they’ve made criminals rich.

    “The government’s own figures show smoking rates flatlined at 11% since 2019 despite taxing a pack to A$50 ($32.50). Meanwhile, organized crime syndicates pocket A$2.3 billion ($1.5 billion) annually in evaded excise, funding drug trafficking and violent turf wars.” 

    CAPHRA’s data said Australia’s illicit tobacco trade has surged by 46% since 2020, with over 800,000 smuggled cigarettes intercepted monthly at airports. Criminal syndicates increasingly exploit international travelers, while fire bombings of non-compliant retailers exceed 220 incidents since 2023. 

    “This isn’t just about lost tax revenue—it’s about community safety,” Loucas said. “Melbourne’s ‘tobacco war’ has seen shops torched and innocent bystanders endangered. The government transformed a health issue into a national security crisis by ignoring basic economics: punitive taxes without alternatives breed black markets.” 

  • Australia Stands with Highest Tobacco Taxes Despite Black Market Concerns 

    Australia Stands with Highest Tobacco Taxes Despite Black Market Concerns 

    A tobacco tax that’s helped drive Australian cigarette prices to world-leading highs won’t be lowered despite suggestions it has aided a rampant black market. Treasurer Jim Chalmers ruled out changing the tobacco excise Wednesday (June 4), dismissing New South Wales’ (NSW) Premier Chris Minns’ call that lower prices could help curb surging levels of illegal tobacco in the community.

    Federal excise taxes are A$1.40 (91 cents) per cigarette, driving the average cost of a pack of 20 to A$40 ($26). In the last six years, the excise taxes increased from A$16 to A$28 ($10.40 to $18.20) per pack, but the revenue collected by the government has still gone down as smokers turn to a flourishing black market, according to Minns. Tobacco tax revenue peaked at A$16.3 billion ($10.1 billion) in 2020 but has dipped to a projected A$7.4 billion ($4.8 billion) this year.

    Minns said police have better things to do than tobacco enforcement, and the “commonsense option” would be for the federal government to acknowledge the excise was not working. NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey insisted he would raise the issue with his federal counterpart despite the flat rejection.

    “We can’t ignore the fact there’s an interaction between the federal exercise and the emergence of illegal tobacco,” Mookhey said.

  • Australia’s Latest Tobacco Regs Looming

    Australia’s Latest Tobacco Regs Looming

    Australian officials sent reminders to retailers that the nation’s harsh new tobacco regulations will be in full effect beginning July 1. The new regulations were announced in October 2024 and gave manufacturers five months to comply. Retailers were then given a three-month transition period to phase out old stock that will end in June.

    The new rules include banning certain flavors and ingredients that mask the taste of tobacco; using words like “smooth” or “gold” that make the product seem safer; having 20 sticks per pack and 10 packs per carton; making each cigarette the same size; and updating health warnings that will be printed on the packaging and products.

    According to the Daily Mail, cigarette prices in Australia are among the highest in the world due chiefly to heavy taxation. A standard 20-pack costs more than A$50 ($32.50), depending on the brand, with 70% of the retail price, A$35 ($22.75), going to the government as excise tax. Despite the tax increases, government revenue from tobacco dropped 39% as the tax hikes created a booming black market, with millions of Australians now buying illegal, counterfeit cigarettes sold in convenience stores. The Australian Tax Office estimates that nearly 20% of cigarettes smoked in the country come from criminal syndicates that evade taxes and sell at deep discounts.

  • Australian Police Seize $14M in Tobacco Smuggling Bust

    Australian Police Seize $14M in Tobacco Smuggling Bust

    South Australian police said two men were arrested as they seized more than 7 million cigarettes, 3.9 tons of loose tobacco, and A$9 million ($5.8 million) in cash, combing for what officials said totaled a A$22 million ($14.1 million) bust.

    On May 6, Eyre Western Police stopped a vehicle containing a large quantity of illicit tobacco products. Further investigation led detectives to search an industrial premises in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, which was allegedly being used as a statewide distribution warehouse supplying retail outlets with illicit tobacco products.

    Detective chief inspector Brett Featherby said the confiscation of products, assets, and cash would result in a “significant disruption to the criminal syndicates operating in South Australia.”

    The bust follows a $1.5m seizure of illegal tobacco and $444,000 in cash in Mid North and Eyre Peninsula raids in April.

  • Australian State Ups Penalties for Illicit Tobacco 

    Australian State Ups Penalties for Illicit Tobacco 

    Australia’s New South Wales government has introduced major reforms that are expected to be phased in by July 1 to combat illicit tobacco sales. They include a new licensing scheme for retailers and significantly increased penalties for offenders. NSW is following the lead of Queensland, which recently enacted similar measures.

    Under NSW’s new laws, businesses will need to obtain a tobacco retailing license or face fines of up to A$220,000 ($140,000) for corporations and A$44,000 ($28,000) for individuals. Retailers with a current Retailer Identification Number (RIN) will receive information on how to apply for a license. 

    Heavier penalties are now in effect for offenses such as selling single cigarettes or in packs of less than 20, tobacco products without health warnings, or using prohibited packaging. Corporations caught committing these offenses face fines of up to A$770,000 ($493,000), while individuals can be fined A$154,000 ($98,600). 

    The new laws have also strengthened penalties for both individuals and corporations caught selling tobacco products to minors. Individuals can be fined up to A$22,000 ($14,000) for their first offense and A$110,000 ($70,400) for subsequent offenses, while corporations face fines of up to A$110,000 for a first offense and A$220,000 for further offenses.