Nearly 80 per cent of tobacco purchases made by young adult smokers are likely to be illegal, according to new research from Cancer Council NSW. 

The "Generation Vape" study, published this month, found that four in five young Australian smokers aged 18 – 24 have been purchasing tobacco illegally, raising concerns that illicit tobacco has become normalised among young Australians. 

Researchers found that tobacconists and tobacco shops were the most common source of illicit tobacco, followed by convenience stores, milk bars and corner shops. Many products purchased at these stores did not comply with Australian packaging and health warning regulations. 

Anita Dessaix, chair of Cancer Council’s Public Health Committee and co-author of the study, said in a recent press release, “This is not a small issue happening behind the scenes, it is happening out in the open, in everyday shops.”

She added that, “young people aren’t buying these products from shadowy online markets, they’re buying them from physical retailers operating in plain sight.” 

Young smokers have attributed low costs and greater accessibility to the rise in illicit cigarette purchases. 

University of Melbourne student, Harry, said the low price of illicit cigarettes does make smoking more appealing. 

Harry said that when he asks for cheap cigarettes at a local milk bar, which he knows are illegal, the products offered are “half price, or sometimes less, than you’d find at a supermarket”. 

The findings come as the federal government faces growing pressure from economists, public health experts, and parliamentarians to ease control measures such as tobacco taxes amid the rise of Australia’s illicit tobacco market. 

Surveys show that Australia’s tobacco control efforts have contributed to a significant decline in the prevalence of smoking. 

These efforts include tobacco taxes, restrictions on advertising, and the enforcement of smoke-free zones.

They reported that the rate of daily smoking among Australians aged 14 and over, declined by around two-thirds over the past 30 years.

The Cancer Council has also called for urgent action from policymakers to address the supply of illicit tobacco to protect young people from nicotine addiction. 

In a letter released on their website, Cancer Council warned "Big Tobacco", the world’s four largest transnational tobacco companies, against using the illicit market as an excuse to undermine decades of public health progress achieved through effective tobacco control policies aimed at reducing smoking rates. 

The study’s chief investigator, Professor Becky Freeman from the University of Sydney, said in a press release that illicit products were so inexpensive that even removing the tobacco tax would not be enough to compete with criminal suppliers. 

Dessaix said the solution lies not in decreasing the price of legal cigarettes, but rather in reducing availability through stronger enforcement to “shut off” the supply of illegal tobacco.

She added that ongoing, effective public education campaigns remained essential in ensuring young people understood the harms of smoking and vaping.

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