4 ms·

All advertising of tobacco products has been banned outright for some time in my country, Australia. Even cigarette packets on a shelf behind a shopkeeper must

All advertising of tobacco products has been banned outright for some time in my country, Australia. Even cigarette packets on a shelf behind a shopkeeper must not be identifiable in any way, and be behind a closed door. And all brands look exactly the same except for small lettering of the product's name (in the same font for everyone). They all look like this; https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/29360d2ce7cffa390ad072b2c248cb14?width=650 https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/29360d2ce7cffa390ad072b2... Just grey packets with a confronting image of disease. But it's the cost that has had the most dramatic effect on smoking rates. Particularly with younger people. A single packet of 25 cigarettes costs something like $35-$40 (@$25US) in Australia now. Teenagers just cant afford to start smoking anymore. https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/teenage-smoking-1984-2008-LIGHT.png https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/...

frosted-flakes 8y ago
How common are contraband cigarettes, or roll-your-owns? I know that here in Canada, many people get their cigarettes by the carton from the nearest native reservation, who can produce them for their own use or are exempt from the rules (I don't know which).
- satori99 8y ago
  All tobacco sales are heavily regulated and taxed. The taxation amount increases each year until 2030 (i think). It used to be possible to buy them duty-free if you were traveling internationally, but that loophole was closed too. An individual can only bring a max. of 200 individual cigarettes, into the country now without paying the Australian taxes. I was a smoker, and I looked into roll-your-owns as an option to save on the rising costs, but it was a negligible difference. Gram for gram it was a tiny difference between purchasing loose pouch tobacco and pre-made cigarettes. It is also illegal for anyone to cultivate it in any amount without a government license, and the penalties are very harsh. There is apparently a black-market for unprocessed tobacco (known colloquially as chop-chop) but I haven't ever come across it. It is much easier to buy weed, which is still outright illegal here. https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/pae75k/we-asked-a-tobacco-farmer-if-growing-your-own-chop-chop-is-worth-it https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/pae75k/we-asked-a-tobacco... For some idea of the crazy high prices; https://www.cigars.com.au/products/cigarettes https://www.cigars.com.au/products/cigarettes
  - xxpor 8y ago
    The UK cigs seem very reasonable, even low. $10.75 AUD is $7.57 USD, which while not as low as you'll find in the south for example, but for cigs in major cities on the coasts these days it's not crazy.
    - DanBC 8y ago
      Do they contain any actual tobacco or are they "herbal"?
- RileyJames 8y ago
  Anecdotal, but among my friends roll your own was very popular. It’s cheaper. The end result generally contains less tobacco than the pre-rolled, so go guess it goes further. And people often say “it doesn’t have all the chemicals that the pre-rolled ones have”, which is justified off the basis that pre-rolled cigarettes will finish themselves if left on a table, but a roll your own will go out. (I don’t smoke, so I’ve never bothered to look into it). Additionally, mixing tobacco and marijuana is more common in Australia. Roll your owns go hand in hand.
  - NeedMoreTea 8y ago
    The tobacco in ready mades is sprayed with saltpetre among other things.
jpatokal 8y ago
Not grey, but "drab dark brown" Pantone 448C, chosen specifically as the least appealing color possible! https://www.smh.com.au/national/does-this-colour-turn-you-off-20120816-24bf4.html https://www.smh.com.au/national/does-this-colour-turn-you-of...
tnecniv 8y ago
Out of curiosity, how does this compare with loose tobacco for rolling your own cigarettes in price and packaging? I was in Australia on a trip last year, and met a lot of people who rolled their own because that was still affordable for them.
tomjen3 8y ago
I wished they kept them behind the shelf here, as well. Not because I care if other people smoke (once that is over, they will come for fat guys like me), but because as a non-smoker, I hate to see the images of disease every time I have to buy my food. Anyway, once the young stop smoking they will start doing something else which is dangerous.

frosted-flakes 8y ago

How common are contraband cigarettes, or roll-your-owns? I know that here in Canada, many people get their cigarettes by the carton from the nearest native reservation, who can produce them for their own use or are exempt from the rules (I don't know which).

satori99 8y ago
All tobacco sales are heavily regulated and taxed. The taxation amount increases each year until 2030 (i think). It used to be possible to buy them duty-free if you were traveling internationally, but that loophole was closed too. An individual can only bring a max. of 200 individual cigarettes, into the country now without paying the Australian taxes. I was a smoker, and I looked into roll-your-owns as an option to save on the rising costs, but it was a negligible difference. Gram for gram it was a tiny difference between purchasing loose pouch tobacco and pre-made cigarettes. It is also illegal for anyone to cultivate it in any amount without a government license, and the penalties are very harsh. There is apparently a black-market for unprocessed tobacco (known colloquially as chop-chop) but I haven't ever come across it. It is much easier to buy weed, which is still outright illegal here. https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/pae75k/we-asked-a-tobacco-farmer-if-growing-your-own-chop-chop-is-worth-it https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/pae75k/we-asked-a-tobacco... For some idea of the crazy high prices; https://www.cigars.com.au/products/cigarettes https://www.cigars.com.au/products/cigarettes
- xxpor 8y ago
  The UK cigs seem very reasonable, even low. $10.75 AUD is $7.57 USD, which while not as low as you'll find in the south for example, but for cigs in major cities on the coasts these days it's not crazy.
  - DanBC 8y ago
    Do they contain any actual tobacco or are they "herbal"?
RileyJames 8y ago
Anecdotal, but among my friends roll your own was very popular. It’s cheaper. The end result generally contains less tobacco than the pre-rolled, so go guess it goes further. And people often say “it doesn’t have all the chemicals that the pre-rolled ones have”, which is justified off the basis that pre-rolled cigarettes will finish themselves if left on a table, but a roll your own will go out. (I don’t smoke, so I’ve never bothered to look into it). Additionally, mixing tobacco and marijuana is more common in Australia. Roll your owns go hand in hand.
- NeedMoreTea 8y ago
  The tobacco in ready mades is sprayed with saltpetre among other things.

jpatokal 8y ago

Not grey, but "drab dark brown" Pantone 448C, chosen specifically as the least appealing color possible! https://www.smh.com.au/national/does-this-colour-turn-you-off-20120816-24bf4.html https://www.smh.com.au/national/does-this-colour-turn-you-of...

tnecniv 8y ago

Out of curiosity, how does this compare with loose tobacco for rolling your own cigarettes in price and packaging? I was in Australia on a trip last year, and met a lot of people who rolled their own because that was still affordable for them.

tomjen3 8y ago

I wished they kept them behind the shelf here, as well. Not because I care if other people smoke (once that is over, they will come for fat guys like me), but because as a non-smoker, I hate to see the images of disease every time I have to buy my food. Anyway, once the young stop smoking they will start doing something else which is dangerous.