00:00Tasmania has among the highest smoking rates of all states and territories.
00:06The most recent data shows that between 12 and 15 percent of adults still smoke.
00:12And as the cost of legal nicotine products continues to rise,
00:16the market for illegal tobacco and vapes has flourished.
00:20It is having an impact on the ongoing viability of a lot of independent retailers,
00:25in particular small and medium retailers.
00:28Tasmania might not have seen the violence and turf wars fuelled by the illicit tobacco market in other states,
00:34but in the last two weeks alone, authorities have seized more than $3 million worth of illegal products.
00:41The biggest barrier to date has been having the powers right through legislation
00:45to actually shut down these illegal stores.
00:47That could soon change.
00:49The Tasmanian government has proposed new laws to shut down premises for 90 days
00:54if they sell illegal smoking products.
00:57Penalties would also increase significantly, starting at up to $82,000 for businesses
01:03and rising to $3 million for a third offence.
01:07Small retailers have been complaining for some time, quite rightly,
01:10that they pay $1,000 or more for a tobacco licence
01:14and that these people, these fly-by-night cowboys, come in and sell illicit tobacco products and illicit vapes.
01:22The government is looking to attack the supply side, but advocates are questioning if enough is being done on the demand side.
01:29The proportion of smokers has not significantly decreased in over a decade,
01:33and there's a growing problem with the online sale of vapes.
01:37At the same time, funding for Quit Tasmania was cut last year.
01:42But if you cut the funding to quit, like the government has,
01:45then where's the incentive for people to quit?
01:49There's always more we can do, and that's why we have strong anti-smoking messages,
01:56not just in our schools but in the community more generally.
01:59An evolving problem with more than one solution.
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