Assessment Task 1: Australian Tobacco Control Laws

This essay analyzes the laws implemented in Australia to control tobacco usage and promote public health, focusing on the reduction of smoking rates and the detrimental effects of tobacco. It highlights key legislation, including the Tobacco Advertising Prohibition Act 1992 and regulations on e-cigarettes, aiming to curb consumption and improve public health. The essay discusses the implications of these laws, such as mandatory tobacco licenses, advertising bans, and smoke-free areas, and their impact on the public. It also explores the role of media and plain packaging in reducing tobacco consumption. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of these laws and the need for continued efforts to control the use of tobacco products and address the emerging challenges posed by e-cigarettes to improve the overall health of the population.

Running head: AUSTRALIAN LAW FOR TOBACCO CONTROL
AUSTRALIAN LAW FOR TOBACCO CONTROL
Student Name
University Name
Author Note

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Smoking has been a prevalent habit that is done by people in Australia. It has been
observed that daily smoking rates have been increasing in people over the age of 14
("Prevalence of smoking—adults - Tobacco in Australia", 2019). Australian Bureau of
Statistics have been conducting surveys for more than a decade to assess the value and
quantity of the manufacturing of tobacco products with a variety of formats. The usage of
tobacco has been increasing significantly by the year due to various reasons for stress
("Department of Health | Smoking prevalence rates", 2019). In the following essay, the laws
that have been enforced in Australia on the grounds of tobacco usage has been highlighted.
The laws should be enforced strictly in Australia to curb the usage and decrease the
detrimental effects of smoking on individuals.
Since the start of the 21st century, Australian Government has been passing a number
of legislations to reduce the consumption of tobacco products and improving the public
health ("Reducing tobacco access and supply - Tobacco in Australia", 2019). The intent of
imposing laws to control the usage and consumption of tobacco is to mainly decrease the
prevalence of the deteriorating public health (Memish et al., 2017). The Australian
Government has recently passed a law to ban the usage of e-cigarettes. From August 1, 2016,
it has been decided by the government to regulate personal vaporizers or e-cigarettes under
smoking products ("Regulations on e-cigarettes come into effect today - Chief Minister,
Treasury and Economic Development Directorate", 2016). The restrictions that have been
previously applied to smoking products will also be applied to e-cigarettes. Tobacco license
is mandatory for sellers to sell products to the public (Douglas, Hall & Gartner, 2015).
Prohibition in selling of cigarettes to children, banning of advertisement of products on the
national platform and banning the usage of e-cigarettes are some of the main objectives that
are addressed in the legislation (Saw et al., 2019). Prior to this, The Tobacco Advertising
Prohibition Act 1992 was passed which intended to reduce the advertisement of the tobacco
product (El-Toukhy et al., 2018). The law that has been passed to reduce the selling of e-
cigarettes have been implemented in the Commonwealth level.
It is a recent trend to use e-cigarettes than a normal cigarette by youngsters in
Australia (Jongenelis et al., 2019). It is an electronic device which releases vaporized nicotine
for the user to inhale the vapour than the typical smoke off a cigarette (Kwak et al., 2019).
Vaping has been a recent trend by high school students who wanted to try out the new
concept introduced in place of smoking (Mendelsohn, 2018). It is observed that the nicotine
content is higher than the normal cigarette level (Yan & D’Ruiz, 2015). When e-cigarettes

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were first advertised, it was shown that they have a high likeliness of reducing the nicotine
consumption in people who smoke regularly (Rahman et al., 2015). It was assumed to be a
healthier alternative to the traditional cigarette that was prevalent during that time (Yan &
D’Ruiz, 2015). As per the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), it has been
observed that e-cigarettes should not be used by individuals who are pregnant who stop the
usage of any other nicotine products.
There is still a huge availability of cigarettes and e-cigarettes in the market. It is still
legal to sell e-cigarettes to students and adults in the country just by merely possessing
tobacco license (Jongenelis et al., 2019). The impact of media is observed to be huge in terms
of reducing the consumption of nicotine in the general public (Saw et al., 2019). There have
been several breaches in adhering to the law that encircles around the prohibition of
advertising any sort of tobacco products. Complaints are submitted to the Advertising
Standards Bureau (ASB) about the advertisements that are shown on the context of tobacco
products (Jones & Eagleton, 2015). The ASB holds the right to instruct the companies to
withdraw or modify the advertisement based on the complaints that have been received.
The laws that have been passed in Australia and enforced by the people of the country
help to reduce the consumption of tobacco and thereby, significantly decreasing the smoking
rates in the population (Memish et al., 2017). The implications of the laws help in monitoring
the smoking and reducing the detrimental health effects of smoking. The usage of mass
media in broadcasting the negative impacts of tobacco products have built a fear on the minds
of the population to reduce the habit (Jones & Eagleton, 2015). Gradual decrease in the
prevalence of the habit is initiated by the public. Plain packaging has been introduced in the
market by the government of Australia to reduce the visual effect of the package (Scollo et
al., 2015). Smoke-free areas have been introduced in areas of the public place to reduce the
effects of passive smoking in the population (Dessaix et al., 2016). It has been observed that
before the installation of smoke-free areas in the public place, the incidence of lung cancer
has been increasing in people who have not smoked in their entire life (Kirby, 2016). This is
reduced by the installation of smoke-free areas where people who want to have a smoke are
allowed in enclosed chamber. This way, the smoke is not inhaled by other people (Dessaix et
al., 2016).
In conclusion, it can be understood that tobacco products deteriorate the health of an
individual. It is a very bad habit which must not be prioritized by the individual. The laws

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have been introduced into the legislation of Australia to improve the overall health of the
public. These must be promoted by the general public to reach a maximum effect. E-
cigarettes have been introduced in the market to curb the smoking rates but then their ill-
effects have been increasing by the day which needs to be controlled by the government of
Australia.

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