How common is smoking in Australia?

Submitted ⁨⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨someguy3@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨australia@aussie.zone⁩

US and Canada have seen great decreases after big anti smoking campaigns in the 90s and laws in the 2000s. Apparently European countries have not. But I have no idea about Australia and New Zealand.

source

Comments

Sort:hotnew top

InvisibleShoe@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Australia had similar campaigns and decreases. We were the first to bring in plain packaging laws.

There are still people smoking but the price of a pack of cigarettes is astronomical($55-60) compared to 10 years ago and alot of smokers I know are moving to vaping.

The black-market for cigarettes is getting bigger too due to prices.

source
- someguy3@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  What are the taxes on vaping?
  
  source
  - InvisibleShoe@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Couldn’t say, sorry mate. I’m pretty sure you need a doctor’s script for nicotine vapes these days(I think they have been classified as nicotine replacement therapy).
    
    Most of my friends are buying liter bottles of concentrate off the net(not sure about legality of this) and filling their own carts. I don’t smoke or vape.
    
    source
Baku@aussie.zone ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I thought this was an easy question to answer, but I realised that I don’t really notice people smoking unless it’s somewhere they aren’t meant to (illegal to smoke in indoor public spaces including near eating areas or on public transport, and in a car if a kid is also in the car). But people smoked around me for most of my early childhood so it’s just something that I’ve internally normalised and don’t notice

The statistics bureau publishes stats every year or two on smoking and according to 2022s:

58.3% of adults have never smoked (including vapes and e-cigs) 10.6% of adults are daily smokers (half of what it was 20 years ago) 14.4% of adults vaped or used an e-cig

People in rurual/outer regional areas are almost twice as likely to smoke People in areas of “most disadvantage” (ABS talk for poor places) are almost 4x as likely to smoke than those in areas of “least disadvantage” (ABS talk for rich places)

And apparently among daily smokers, the average amount per day is 11.8 cigs

Source for all this (quite interesting imo, but maybe I’m just a nerd): www.abs.gov.au/statistics/…/latest-release

source
- Nath@aussie.zone ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Ironic that the people who have the smallest amount of disposable income are the most likely to spend money on smoking/vaping.
  
  source
  - trk@aussie.zone ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    The price of a packet of cigarettes isn’t going to be the difference between them surviving and thriving, so they opt for the small amount of short term enjoyment.
    
    I can dig it, I was that poor once. It’s like I could go all week without any enjoyment whatsoever, and maybe in a few months I’ll have enough to do something boring but sensible that might slightly improve my long term prospects… Or I could blow the last few bucks in my bank account on a pack of ciggies and have some guilty pleasures immediately.
    
    Pretty hard up stay strong to be honest.
    
    source
    -> View More Comments
- kerr@aussie.zone ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Wow 10.6% still seems really high to me
  
  source
  - Baku@aussie.zone ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    I suppose - 10.6% of ~20 millionish is still a lot, but compared to how high it used to be, it has gone down a lot. In the 80s over 40% of adult men were smokers
    
    source
Kanzar@lemmy.world ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Not much smoking, enough that you’re a bit taken aback when you travel to Europe/Africa/Asia and it seems like everyone smokes there.

No smoking allowed indoors, and I feel like there’s fewer smokers gathering at the 4m mark away from doors.

source
spudsrus@aussie.zone ⁨9⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
The rates have gone down and lots of people have moved to vaping as others have mentioned.

My take is that while it’s prohibited in many areas the enforcement is shocking.

I attend a hospital outpatient clinic at least 6 visits per year (usually more for scans and stuff). It’s prohibited on the hospital campus and has been for ages. Signs everywhere.

Don’t think I’ve ever been in the last 10 years and not seen someone smoking.

Similar enforcement in city malls and other areas where it’s prohibited. People only care if it’s inside

source