Australian government cracks down on smoking and vaping

As the government tightens down on smoking and vaping, tobacco taxes in Australia will rise by billions over four years.

Health Minister Mark Butler announced Tuesday that recreational vaping will be outlawed to prevent youth nicotine addiction.

Butler said the cigarette tax would rise by 5% a year from September, totaling 3.3 billion Australian dollars ($2.2 billion) over four years. E-cigarette regulation, including import and packaging restrictions, received a AU$234-million ($157-million) rise.

Vapes contain around 200 harmful substances. Butler noted that nail polish remover and weed killer contain similar ingredients.

The government will cooperate with states and territories to ban vapes in retail and convenience stores and make therapeutic prescriptions easier.

The government will tighten vape product standards, including flavors and colors, to combat the underground market. It will outlaw single-use vapes, mandate pharmaceutical-like packaging, and lower nicotine contents and volumes.
Butler claimed this product is for kids. “Vaping is the biggest behavioral issue in high schools and spreading to primary schools. Stop this.”

Butler warned the “new threat” could reverse public health gains from smoking decrease.

Australian Medical Association president Steve Robson supported it. “We know the new young Australians are hooked on vapes and this is a great initiative,” he said.

Alcohol and Drug Foundation CEO Erin Lalor said most Australian vapers used unregulated goods without knowing what was in them.

“Some vapers, including young people, may be unknowingly consuming nicotine and have formed a dependence,” she stated.

An AU$63-million ($42-million) public health campaign will discourage Australians from vaping and help them quit. AU$30 million ($20 million) will be invested on vaping cessation programs and health practitioner education. The government will add vaping to a program to help Indigenous people quit smoking with AU$140 million ($94 million).

Government statistics show 11.2% of 15-year-old Australians smoked in 2019.