The Libertarian Party will:
- Substantially cut tobacco excise. This will get to the root of organised crime by allowing a legitimate tobacco market to return.
- Legalise vaping and the sale of vaping products as retail consumer products for adults. This will take another product out of the hands of criminals, and offer another option for people who want to quit smoking.
Discussion
Prohibition benefits criminals, giving them an opportunity to corner a market. Tobacco taxes are now so high that they have become a form of quasi-prohibition. This approach has failed to impact smoking rates but has created a thriving black market, generating mega-profits for organised crime and leading to a deadly tobacco war involving murders and arson attacks. The best way to undermine organised crime is to remove the source of their profits by cutting tobacco excise tax, allowing legitimate law-abiding sellers to compete.
Vaping is likely to be significantly less harmful than smoking, and in jurisdictions like New Zealand where vaping has been embraced, smoking rates have fallen much faster than in Australia. The Australian government has tried to limit the sale of vaping products to pharmacies, but very few pharmacies have agreed to supply these products, making it another form of quasi-prohibition. This prohibition of vaping just gives yet another lucrative market to criminals.
The Libertarian Party will ensure that common sense is restored to tobacco policy.