PRESS RELEASE: High time for a government monopoly on tobacco sales

The flourishing illegal tobacco trade that’s costing lives, and the government billions in revenue, while enriching criminals, shows that it’s time for the Federal government to establish a monopoly over the sale of tobacco, according to the Legalise Cannabis Party candidate for Murray Wellington, Mark Schneider.
By establishing a government monopoly on tobacco sales through government-controlled outlets, and making sales through tobacconists and other retailers illegal, it makes it far more difficult for organised crime to reach its market, Mr Schneider said.
“Black market tobacco is being openly sold around Australia right now,” Mr Schneider said.
“That’s putting millions into the hands of violent criminals while undercutting price controls that reduce smoking rates.
“It’s time for the government to take the next step toward the end game for the world’s most dangerous drug by putting its sale in the hands of an independent statutory body tasked with buying it, selling it, closing all other outlets, and policing control.
“This would raise large sums of money that could be used for health promotion, and for controlling illegal tobacco through a well-funded enforcement agency,” he said.
The sale of tobacco has degenerated into an open-slather free market controlled by criminals. They’re marketing tobacco through an expanding array of tobacconists in suburban streets throughout Australia. While it’s illegal there’s no effective enforcement at the retail end, though customs do their best to intercept bulk shipments of illegal tobacco.
“This model helps put an end to that by controlling the supply of tobacco to the public and thereby drastically reducing the outlets available to criminals to sell illegal tobacco. But it also provides the necessary funding to crack down on the illegal sale of this most dangerous of drugs.
“In many ways it’s similar to the Nordic model of alcohol sales, where alcohol is only available through government monopolies which have reduced alcohol consumption and harm,” he concluded.
He stressed that this was a personal view, rather than official Legalise Cannabis Party policy.
For further comment contact Mark Schneider on 0439 187 651