Cheap, unregulated tobacco products sold without mandated health warnings or plain packaging are eroding decades of anti-smoking progress across Tasmania.
Abby Smith, Director of Prevention for Quit Tasmania said some illegal products are now “as easy as using Uber Eats” to obtain.
“Because of illicit trade, we really need to invest in [anti-smoking] campaigns,” Smith told Pulse.
She said anti-tobacco mass media campaigns are considered among the most effective reduction measures for smoking but funding was slashed by 50 per cent in July, leaving the state with its lowest campaign investment in a decade.
Smith said although a government crackdown on illegal tobacco and vapes was useful, it won’t be enough to tackle Tasmania’s smoking problem.
She claims the state needs proper education campaigns.
“They’re one of the things that has a lot of evidence, so that’s why it’s really important to keep funding them,” Smith said.
The cuts forced Tasmania to scrap its award-winning Don’t Let Vaping In initiative last year, which South Australia has since adopted.
Tasmania recorded a 15 per cent adult smoking rate in the last round of data collected in 2023, and it was one of the highest rates in Australia.
Vaping sat at around 3 per cent, but youth uptake has health professionals concerned.
“We know that vaping in young people is quite a social activity,” Smith said.
“We also know that access is very easy.”
Research shows young non-smokers who start vaping are five times more likely to take up smoking.
Recent data shows the first increase in decades for youth susceptibility to tobacco smoking in Tasmania.
The government has introduced prescription-only vape sales and is consulting on tougher penalties for retailers.
But Smith says Quit Tasmania believes awareness campaigns remain crucial to addressing health risks.
The organisation is calling for the funding cuts to be reversed in May’s budget, along with investment commitments to tackle youth vaping and smoking rates.
The state government announced new laws earlier this month that could see businesses caught selling illegal tobacco in Tasmania forced to close for up to 90 days and potentially face fines of more than $3 million.
The Public Health Amendment (Prohibited Tobacco and Other Products) Bill 2026 proposes new powers to temporarily shut down premises suspected of selling illicit tobacco or vapes, with repeat corporate offenders facing penalties of up to 16,000 penalty units – equivalent to $3.28 million.
Health Minister Bridget Archer said the legislation would give Tasmania some of the toughest tobacco enforcement measures in the country.
“This will help further protect the health and wellbeing of Tasmanians,” she said.
