While I was in Warsaw this week for a conference on tobacco policy, the Australian government released its latest figures on the size of the illicit tobacco market. Its policies, often cited as world-leading, have led to illicit cigarettes encompassing 80% of the market, an incredible failure. Report here written by the host of the panel I was on.
Australia tried to tax smoking out of existence. Now 80% of tobacco Aussies consume is from the black market.
With cigarettes costing around $40 a pack, Australia’s war on smoking has become a case study in how prohibitionist policies create black markets, violence, and criminal power.
reason.com