The Federal government has ramped up its fight against tobacco and vaping, introducing a new suite of measures aimed to crack down on smoking.Health Minister Mark Butler says the government is trying to tackle the issue as the tobacco industry continues to evolve and find ways around Australian law, including the plain packaging legislation.
“What we’ve confronted really is a situation where there’s been no major tobacco control reform for 12 years," Mr Butler told Sky News Australia. “The industry has innovated; it’s found very clever marketing strategies to get around the intent of the plain packaging legislation more than a decade ago.
“As a result, we’re simply not on track to meet the targets set out in the National Tobacco Strategy to continue driving those smoking rates down. “There’s a very serious public health challenge with vapes but we can’t forget the traditional challenge of driving down tobacco use as well."