Smoke rings in new cigarette laws
Sat 05 June 2010
Thomas Roche, Bachelor of Communication
Cigarette costs are continuously rising in a bid to influence Australian smokers to break the habit, but the new laws are also having a negative effect.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that on April 30, 2010, taxes on Australian smokers would increase by 25 per cent in order to pay for a health reform as well as to lower smoking rates.
Cigarette prices will increase twice more within the next three years, with the price of a pack of 30 cigarettes rising by $2.16 at each increase. 
That is a significant increase compared to $14 per pack before the laws were passed, and $20 per pack after the final increase three years down the track.
Currently there are 3 million smokers in Australia who will help fund Prime Minister Rudd’s health reform.
However, increasing taxes and creating bland packaging is not guaranteed to persuade smokers to kick the habit.
Renae O’Brien, 23, sells cigarettes at a newsagency, and started smoking in her late teens.
Miss O’Brien believes that the new smoking law is not going to slow the smoking rate down, and said that smokers will be more inclined to buy a packet of 20 cigarettes rather than the bigger ones, as people who are addicted will find ways to buy a pack.
Cancer Council statistics suggest that a large majority of the smoking population are those in the disadvantaged bracket.
These people already can barely afford cigarettes, and Cancer Council statistics suggest that many disadvantaged smokers will simply choose to go without something that they or their children need or want in order to pay for their habit.
Miss O’Brien regularly witnesses this scene at the newsagency, such as when a child may ask for a chocolate bar that costs $2.20 but will be told they have to go without because the parent does not have the money.
The parent of the child will then proceed to buy a packet of cigarettes, while the child goes without.
Along with the new laws, cigarette packaging will also become blander in order to increase the visibility of health warnings and to prevent cigarette packets’ appeal to minors.
In 2007, Quit reported smoking rates in the 18-24 year age bracket were 19 per cent, a substantial drop from 47 per cent in 1980.
Cigarette companies will no longer be able to produce bright packets showing brand names, because it is believed this contributes to the appeal of smoking to school aged and young adult smokers.
Miss O’Brien disagrees that new packaging will be stop young adults from lighting up.
“I started because I thought it was cool,” Miss O’Brien said.
“All my friends and family smoked, and I was the only one who wasn’t.
“I didn’t smoke because of the packaging, that didn’t influence me at all.
“It was the thought of being the odd one out.”
The new smoking laws will not only disadvantage those already struggling to pay the rent, but also small businesses.
Small businesses such as corner shops may find that the new cigarette laws will financially hurt their businesses, with some store owners already reporting a decrease in impulse item sales.
If there is to be a down turn in cigarette sales, these independent businesses will need to find an alternative way to boost profits.
Free Choice tobacco store in Caloundra employee Ryan Hidassy believes that it is too early to tell whether the price increases are going to have an adverse affect on his store.
However, Mr Hidassy agrees that the rising cost of cigarettes will eventually drive businesses out of operation that rely on cigarette sales as their main income.
But when it comes to tobacco stores themselves, Mr Hidassy is more positive, and says that because they sell cigarettes at a pretty good price, there should not be too much of a problem.
When it comes to the issue of new packaging, many retailers such as corner shops and newsagents may have difficulties with locating cigarettes due to the brand-less packaging.
This is what the government is aiming for, as it will hopefully stop younger smokers from knowing what to smoke.
However, when it comes to long time smokers, especially those who buy at tobacconists, this may not be a problem.
When asked whether he believes bland packets will make it more difficult for retailers to sell cigarettes, Mr. Hidassy said that “it depends on the business, but a lot of our customers are regulars, so it shouldn’t have too much of a negative effect”.
It may eventually become a matter of shopping around for the best prices, with smokers avoiding small retailers and buying cigarettes from cheaper sources.
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