Kylie Baxter
So are people accessing illicit tobacco here in Tasmania?

Abby Smith
Absolutely. We are definitely seeing a rapid increase in illicit trade in tobacco at the moment.

Kylie Baxter
And so how popular is it over say, well you know, none of it’s good for us but if you walk in and buy your legal cigarettes versus illicit tobacco, how is it going as a trade?

Abby Smith
Oh well we’re hearing that people are able to access illicit products for a lot less money than what they would pay for the legal products. But I think it’s really important to remember that tobacco, regardless of whether it’s illicit or legal, is lethal. So you know, we are very concerned. We’re hearing from people who access our services, some people who have previously quit smoking, that because of the illicit trade at the moment, tobacco is very available, it’s cheap, it’s being normalised and people are taking it back up again so they’re taking up smoking.

Kylie Baxter
So it’s actually having a negative effect in the sense that illicit tobacco is actually worsening smoking rates in Tasmania, is that fair to say?

Abby Smith
Well that’s definitely our concern at the moment. So we are very concerned about what’s happening with young people. The last data that we had showed that young people were at a higher susceptibility of smoking because of vaping, and we knew that young people who vaped were five times more likely to take up smoking. And so that was in 2022-2023. We’re currently collecting data for the next survey, so lots of secondary students in Tasmania are probably undertaking the survey at the moment and we’re hoping by early next year we’ll have a better idea of what’s happening. But I mean illicit tobacco is really a distraction in a way because it’s a distraction from the harsh truth really that smoking still causes about 500 Tasmanian deaths every year, it’s the leading cause of cancer and heart disease and numerous other health conditions. We also know that it causes 16 different types of cancer which is responsible for the largest expenditures of any disease, and I’m talking health expenditures. So when we’re looking at budget, trying to reduce smoking rates whether it’s illicit or legal is so important and this is why we are so concerned at the moment that from the first of July the Tasmanian has reduced funding for our anti-tobacco campaigns by 50 per cent, and we know those are one of the most effective ways to encourage people to quit smoking and then stay quit as well.

Kylie Baxter
This trade’s become one of Australia’s most violent criminal markets, how quickly has it exploded and why do you think?

Abby Smith
Oh that’s a great question Kylie, I think well it contains nicotine which is very addictive, so if you oversupply it and it’s under regulated then people are going to take it up.

Kylie Baxter
Now many people at home are probably listening and thinking well hang on a minute if we know that these shops exist and we know these products are out there, why aren’t they being shut down by police?

Abby Smith
Well again it goes back to the regulatory environment in Tasmania and so my understanding is that here our department doesn’t have the power to close down retailers selling illicit tobacco and so that’s something that they really need to look at.