If Australia accepts the proposed 2022-2030 National Tobacco Strategy draft, the country may increase the minimum age required to purchase cigarettes.
Currently, the minimum legal age for purchasing tobacco products in Australia is 18 years old.
A nationwide survey conducted by the Cancer Council has proposed a new policy to completely ban the retail sale of tobacco products, indicating that a majority of Australians are in support of this measure.
In a recent survey conducted by the Cancer Council Victoria, 50.8% of participants supported a gradual phase-out, with the majority at 61.8% indicating that this should be achieved within the next decade.
Cigarettes sold in Australia are the most expensive in the world, with a pack of 20 costing $40. The Australian government collects approximately AUD 17 billion ($12.06 billion) in tobacco taxes each year. It is believed that the high prices have led to a significant illicit market for tobacco products. According to border forces, the illegal tobacco trade is worth around $600 million annually.
In December of last year, New Zealand implemented a plan to make the entire country smoke-free by banning the purchase of cigarettes by young people. Under the new law, individuals aged 14 and below will never be permitted to purchase cigarettes in their lifetime starting in 2027.
Source: Daily Mail
This document has been generated through artificial intelligence translation and is provided solely for the purposes of industry discourse and learning. Please note that the intellectual property rights of the content belong to the original media source or author. Owing to certain limitations in the translation process, there may be discrepancies between the translated text and the original content. We recommend referring to the original source for complete accuracy. In case of any inaccuracies, we invite you to reach out to us with corrections. If you believe any content has infringed upon your rights, please contact us immediately for its removal.
