CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
In space of only a couple of years, it seems that Kevin Rudd’s campaign against Big Tobacco has been completely undermined by a cunning nicotine black market.
While every single government resource was being redirected towards stopping the spread of coronavirus, nobody seemed to be to bothered by the amount of tobacconists that were popping up on every street corner around the country.
After getting an entire generation of young Australians hooked on nicotine through fruity flavoured vapes, it seems that that Gen-Z and Millenials are now naturally upgrading to blackmarket durries.
By bypassing the government’s taxes, a blackmarket 20-pack is now going for less than they did 15 years ago. In many cases, a pack of darts now costs less than a schooner.
It seems what was thought to once be a nearly extinct habit has come roaring back, as young people find unhealthy ways to tackle cost-of-living stress.
With no chance of ever owning a home, or even a new car, let alone getting married and starting a family – it seems that more and more young Australians are picking up the habit every year.
In 2024, the number of Australians aged 18-24 who smoked or vaped sat at 25.1% (620,000). This number has increased to 28% (700,000) – in twelve months. This is the highest rate among any age group.
Those who don’t want to believe these concerning stats, which are drawn from Roy Morgan surveys, should just take a walk down the main street of any town. Every publican in the country can attest that they’ve had to start accomodating smokers again with designated outdoor areas.
Meanwhile, the Federal Health Minister who has overseen this drastic backwards slide in public health standards, Mark Butler MP, has today fronted the media to ensure Australia’s property investor class that he will make sure the government does not touch the tax loopholes that created the current housing crisis.
Nobody really knows why the Health Minister has taken it upon himself to defend Negative Gearing, but with the national average for a house prices edging every closer to $2 million, it’s almost enough to make you wanna stop by one the six tobacconists down the street and pick up a pack of Chinese breath mints.
