ACT Health Minister Vows Continued Crackdown on E-Cigarettes and Illicit Tobacco

Key Takeaways

• ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the government would continue action against e-cigarettes and illicit tobacco.
• She said cutting tobacco excise would not materially reduce profit levels in the illicit tobacco market, and the focus should be on enforcement and stronger legislation.
• The ACT’s first youth-dedicated vaping cessation and nicotine dependence support service has opened at The Junction Youth Health Service.
• The service is available free of charge to all ACT residents aged 24 and under through education, counselling, and support services.
• The Junction received AUD 660,000 in funding over three years (approximately USD 448,800, based on 1 AUD = 0.68 USD) through an ACT Government open grant process.

2Firsts, March 10,2026

According to region.com, ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith has vowed not to let up on government action against e-cigarettes and illicit tobacco. Speaking at the launch of a new program to help young people quit vaping, she doubled down on the need for more regulation and enforcement to stamp out nicotine addiction rather than consider reducing the tobacco excise to undercut the booming black market.

She said cutting the excise was a red herring and that in jurisdictions around the world where the excise was significantly lower, there had still been a proliferation of and growth in the black market because the cost of production was so much cheaper. She said that if 50 percent of the excise were removed, it still would not make any material difference to the level of profit that people could potentially get from the illicit tobacco market. She said that now that the supply chain had come into place, the issue was really enforcement and strengthening legislation to ensure that there were more enforcement mechanisms, both regulatory and criminal.

Rachel Stephen-Smith said the ACT Government was working on this, that people were getting caught, and that there was a price to pay for selling illicit tobacco.

She also said the explosion in the e-cigarette market took governments around the world by surprise, and that Big Tobacco wasted no time in trying to get young people addicted to nicotine. She said this was seen in the proliferation of flavours and packaging on e-cigarettes in the early days. The government would ensure that the ACT kept strengthening regulation and legislation around the availability of e-cigarettes in the community, as well as increasing the offences and enforcement related to illicit tobacco.

Rachel Stephen-Smith also helped launch the ACT’s first vaping cessation and nicotine dependence support service specifically dedicated to helping young people. The service is now open at Anglicare’s The Junction Youth Health Service.

Nicotine Knockout @ The Junction is available free of charge to all ACT residents aged 24 and under, offering evidence-based, non-judgemental support through education, counselling, and support services.

The new service is funded by the Federal Government through a Federation Funding Agreement with the ACT. The Junction was the successful recipient of an open grant process run by the ACT Government, providing AUD 660,000 in funding over three years (approximately USD 448,800, based on 1 AUD = 0.68 USD).

Rachel Stephen-Smith said vaping was a gateway to smoking and that e-cigarettes contained a much higher proportion of nicotine than cigarettes and were very addictive. Almost one third of young people aged 14 to 17 in the ACT had vaped, and there was increasing evidence about the short-term negative health impacts of vaping, including the potential for serious lung injury. Vaping and nicotine use had also been linked to mental health challenges among young people, including depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress.

Research shows that one in eight young Australians aged 12 to 17 vape, and half of them would like to quit but found it too difficult and costly.

Rachel Stephen-Smith said there had been limited services in the ACT and that many young people would not or could not see a doctor. Nicotine Knockout aims to make quitting more accessible and cheaper, as well as informing young people about the risks of vaping and smoking. She said it was important that services were flexible, non-stigmatising, and actually provided free nicotine replacement therapy where appropriate.

Anglicare Child, Youth, Family and Health Services senior manager Jasmine Woodland said the 12-week program comprised a therapeutic program delivered through The Junction and an education program delivered in schools and community settings.

Image courtesy of region.com.