Tobacco laws in Australia have changed. Here’s what you need to know.
Updated tobacco laws are an important step towards a healthier Australia. They change the look and size of packs and products, as well as the taste of cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco. These changes aim to reduce smoking-related disease and save lives.
How has tobacco packaging changed?
Australia is a world leader in the design of cigarette packaging that shows the real, devastating health harms of smoking. It protects consumers from deceptive marketing, putting people before tobacco industry profits.
Tobacco products now look different.
- Each cigarette pack and filtered or little cigar pack now has 20 cigars. Roll-your-own pouches have 30 grams of tobacco and cigarette cartons must have 10 packs. Making packaging the same size reduces the tobacco industry’s ability to market different products to appeal to new consumers – particularly young people.
- Words like “smooth” or “gold” can no longer be used on packs. These words suggest that some products are less harmful than others. In fact, all tobacco products are harmful and addictive, regardless of what they are called or how they taste. Tobacco products sold in Australia must have updated graphic health warnings printed on packs. Although some of these pictures are confronting to look at, they show the reality of smoking-related disease.
Scientific evidence shows a link between smoking and many other deadly diseases. The tobacco industry does not choose to share this information about its products, but people deserve to know all the proven risks of smoking. - Even light or social smoking can increase your risk of disease
- Smoking is a cause of impotence
- Second-hand smoke can make children very sick.
Every cigarette and roll-your-own tobacco pack must also contain an information card that highlights the benefits of quitting, as well as the resources available to help people at all stages of their quitting journey. These include:
- Health improves from the very start of a quitting journey
- Quitting cigarettes frees up cash to save or spend on other things
- While quitting isn’t easy, there are different free supports available, from conversations with helpful Quitline counsellors to online resources and the My QuitBuddy app.
Each information card enables you to access quitting support directly, either via QR code or URL to quit.org.au or by calling Quitline on 13 7848.
Cigarettes look different
Cigarettes must be the same size and have a health warning printed on the filter. The warnings are easily seen when cigarettes are taken out of the pack and carry facts about the risks of smoking, including:
- CAUSES 16 CANCERS
- POISON IN EVERY PUFF
- TOBACCO HARMS CHILDREN
These warnings remind people that, while each cigarette can cause harm, each cigarette returned, unused, to the pack can help kick-start a life-changing quit journey.
Some tobacco products taste different
Tobacco products with added flavours have been banned in Australia.
The tobacco industry has previously used chemical flavours such as menthol, rum and cloves in cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco to mask the harshness of the smoke and make it easier to inhale.
But far from being less harmful, products with added flavours, including crushball cigarettes, are more addictive. They make it easier for people – especially young people – to start smoking and harder to quit. Every day, 66 Australians die from smoking-related illness.
Here’s why menthol has been banned
Flavoured products are already banned in the European Union and Canada, to protect people from the proven harms of smoking and the tobacco industry’s deceptive marketing tactics.
But the end of menthol is a great opportunity to break free from nicotine addiction. If you’re ready to quit menthol, Quit has resources and support to help you work towards a tobacco-free life.
For more on Australia’s tobacco laws: