Australia Bans Smoking
From 1st January 2013, if you come to Australia, leave the cigarettes at home because bringing them into Australia will just be like bringing in weed or other drugs. 
Here's the news story, apparently it was covered on Lateline on the ABC tonight with an interview with the health minister.
Here's the news story, apparently it was covered on Lateline on the ABC tonight with an interview with the health minister.
Prime Minister Ms Julia Gillard tonight announced the latest stage of the Federal Government health reforms including it's aggressive plans to tackle the tobacco industry.
Under the plans announced to Parliament today and detailed in the Prime Minister's speech to the Australian Medical Association conference in Sydney tonight, smoking will be eradicated in Australia by 31st of December 2012.
The first stage of the plan, announced late last year was to provide free PBS prescriptions of nicotine replacement therapy to smokers who wished to give up the habit, costing the health budget an estimated $2 billion.
Stage two is the introduction of rigorous controls on the display and sale of tobacco products with most states now already outlawing the display of tobacco products at point of sale, following this the now legislated plain packaging laws come into effect on 1st July this year.
Stage three of the radical Government plan is to place non therapeutic nicotine products on the prohibited drug imports and sales lists, thereby effectively placing cigarettes and other tobacco products in the same category as cannabis and other recreational drugs. This will take effect at midnight on the 31st December 2012.
Schedule 9 (S9) drugs and poisons are substances and preparations that, by law, may only be used for research purposes. The sale, import, distribution, use, and manufacture of such substances is strictly prohibited by law.
Ms Gillard said in her statement to the AMA tonight that "Australia is determined to stamp out the devastating impact of tobacco use in the Australian community and to save the community the cost of the obvious impacts of such products."
The health budget last year, according to treasury estimates, for medical treatment for people with smoking related illnesses was approximately nine billion dollars.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott was quoted tonight as saying "While I was not aware of the full nature of the Government plans to remove the impact of smoking on the health of Australians, the opposition supports any measures to reduce the impact on our community from the impact of tobacco related illness. In effect Australia will lead the way and become the first country that will tackle this problem head on".
Source AAP.
Under the plans announced to Parliament today and detailed in the Prime Minister's speech to the Australian Medical Association conference in Sydney tonight, smoking will be eradicated in Australia by 31st of December 2012.
The first stage of the plan, announced late last year was to provide free PBS prescriptions of nicotine replacement therapy to smokers who wished to give up the habit, costing the health budget an estimated $2 billion.
Stage two is the introduction of rigorous controls on the display and sale of tobacco products with most states now already outlawing the display of tobacco products at point of sale, following this the now legislated plain packaging laws come into effect on 1st July this year.
Stage three of the radical Government plan is to place non therapeutic nicotine products on the prohibited drug imports and sales lists, thereby effectively placing cigarettes and other tobacco products in the same category as cannabis and other recreational drugs. This will take effect at midnight on the 31st December 2012.
Schedule 9 (S9) drugs and poisons are substances and preparations that, by law, may only be used for research purposes. The sale, import, distribution, use, and manufacture of such substances is strictly prohibited by law.
Ms Gillard said in her statement to the AMA tonight that "Australia is determined to stamp out the devastating impact of tobacco use in the Australian community and to save the community the cost of the obvious impacts of such products."
The health budget last year, according to treasury estimates, for medical treatment for people with smoking related illnesses was approximately nine billion dollars.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott was quoted tonight as saying "While I was not aware of the full nature of the Government plans to remove the impact of smoking on the health of Australians, the opposition supports any measures to reduce the impact on our community from the impact of tobacco related illness. In effect Australia will lead the way and become the first country that will tackle this problem head on".
Source AAP.
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