The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has today been congratulated for finally admitting Australia's tobacco control policy has gone up in smoke - and that the very measures they pushed are driving more people back to cigarettes.
Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) CEO Theo Foukkare said today's ABC report exposing high smoking rates because of easy access to illegal cigarettes shows the AMA, and importantly Health Minister Mark Butler, must admit they got it wrong.
"For the AMA to suddenly sound the alarm that the nation's tobacco policy is in reverse is laughable," Mr Foukkare said.
"Their advice to successive governments and the current Health Minister has essentially rewound tobacco control back to the 70s - when smokes were cheap, they were seen as sexy, they were accessible on every street corner and there were no graphic health warnings. And crucially, no excise.
"Consumers are telling us they can't afford $60 - 65 legal packs when illegal ones cost $15 – 20, some can be found for as little as $7.50. That price gap is a jackpot for criminals and a death sentence for legitimate retailers. It's undoing decades of tobacco control as people turn back to smoking through unregulated, illicit supply.
Mr Foukkare said the AMA and Minister Butler must face facts: excise policy is broken.
"Tobacco control is out the window. Unless we take a balanced approach to excise that keeps legal products affordable, out of the hands of children and in the regulated market, the only legacy this government will leave is making criminals billionaires and putting communities at risk," Mr Foukkare said.
"The states are doing their best with enforcement, but it will only go so far. What we need is a pragmatic national debate about excise - one that gets consumers back into the safer, legal market and onto safer alternatives so they can quit for good.
"Butler can't keep his head in the sand any longer. No one believes the government's questionable reports on smoking when firebombings and crime gangs are in their own backyard. He should meet with legitimate retailers and hear first-hand what needs to be done to get the balance right."
