Australians will open their cigarette packages to find health warnings on the filter as part of the strict new laws of the government to eradicate smoking.
'Poison in Every Puff' and 'Toxic Addiction' are only two of the messages that manufacturers have to print on each cigarette in April, under the government tobacco instructions.
Other messages include 'damage your lungs', 'causes 16 cancers' and 'shortens your life'.
The guidelines for the regulations were released in October 2024, making manufacturers five months to comply with the deadline.
Retailers have a transition period of three months, gradually off their old shares from 1 April to the end of June.
Minister of Health Mark Butler said that Australia “is one of the first countries in the world with this new public health measure.”
The goal is to “teach smokers but also to prevent use of this deadly product,” he said.
Other changes are also introduced, including a ban on functions that make tobacco more attractive, such as menthol and crush balls.
In addition, graphic warnings on the packaging are updated and improved, package and product sizes are standardized and new inserts for health promotion are added to packages and bags to support and encourage people to quit smoking.
'Poison in Every Puff' and 'Toxic Addiction' are only two of the messages printed on each cigarette by under the tobacco instructions
Cigarette prices in Australia are among the highest in the world due to heavy taxation.
Cigarette prices in Australia are among the highest in the world due to heavy taxation. A standard 20-pack costs more than $ 50, depending on the brand, with 70 percent of the selling price ($ 35) that goes to the government in excise duties.
Cigarette excise duties rise twice a year in line with the average wage. On March 1, the tax per cigarette rose by 2.8 percent to $ 1,27816, an increase of $ 1,24335.
However, these constant tax increases have fueled a flourishing black market, with millions of Australians turning to illegal, fake cigarettes that are sold in convenience stores.
And despite the tax increases, the government revenues from Tabak have fallen – drunk 39 percent in just four years, from a peak of $ 16 billion in 2019/20 to $ 9.8 billion in 2023/24.
The ATO now estimates that almost one in five cigarettes smoked in Australia comes from criminal syndicates that avoid taxes and sell with deep discounts on the black market.
Illegal cigarettes are considerably cheaper and costs between $ 10 and $ 20 per pack – less than half the price of legal.
Many Australians claim that higher taxes and stricter health warnings have not been effective, because more smokers simply turn to illegal tobacco instead.
One said: 'Just buy knock -offs from one of the thousands of tobacco conists who have originated in the past year or so. The person in my area does not even sell legitimate ciggies. '
A second added 'The people who have to see it do not buy it – they receive under the table 3 for $ 50 discount on brand packages.'
Many Australians claim that higher taxes and stricter health warnings have not been effective, because more smokers simply turn to illegal tobacco instead
A third said: 'Everyone who still buys legal cigarettes for $ 40 per pack must have investigated his head. Stop or go to a tobacco sash and get them for $ 12. ”
But some Australians are satisfied with the change and argued for further government intervention in smoking.
'Do the same for alcohol and fast food now. I want to see “stop eating s ***” on every hamburger bread, “they said.
“Cigarettes must be exiled in public, I hate to be bombed with the second hand smoke of selfish smokers,” a second added.
