December 20, 2023
by Pippa Starr
Let's assume and I normally hate "assuming anything" That:
all the measures on vaping that @Mark_Butler_MP intends to get passed and are in play by March 1 2024, and there is little to no vaping black market overnight. ie. Cigarettes become the only easy legally accessible option for nicotine delivery besides extremely limited access to chemist vaping and near to useless patches, sprays, gums etc.
I conservatively estimate that out of around >1.6mill daily vapers, at least 1 million vapers could return to smoking. I am already seeing this starting.
I spoke to a middle aged couple in @JEChalmers electorate in Logan just last week who had switched to vaping for the last 8 years who are now smoking again.
The couple said: "it's just become too hard, we have a few disposable vapes left but we have already started smoking cigarettes again. Smokes are just easier and cheaper to get than ever before around here."
Overnight, the smoking rates will skyrocket.
They will be disguised heavily as they are now, because most who smoke illegal smokes don't honestly tell people doing Govt. surveys the truth.
Illegal cigarettes are now at least 30% of the current Australian tobacco market.
We have already seen a tsunami of new tobacconists opening in Australian suburbs over the last year in readiness for this and fire bombings as the crime syndicate supply chains determine their turf.
Realistically Australia's daily smoking rates could hit levels not seen for over 10 years!
Most likely it would get worse than this.
With this information in mind, can anyone tell me how Butlers plan to cancel vaping is a good one?
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