Australia introduces health warnings on every cigarette

After a continuous decline in smoking prevalence in Australia over the past 50 years, it has stabilised since 2019. Although daily smoking has fallen from 16.1% in 2012 to 10.1% in 2022, smoking remains the leading cause of preventable premature death in the country, with 20,500 deaths annually.

To further reduce this smoking prevalence and achieve the target of fewer than 5,100 smokers by 2030, the Australian government presented on December 5, 2023 a set of new anti-smoking measures, echoing the National anti-tobacco strategy 2023-2030 published in May 2023.

A series of measures to make tobacco products less attractive

One of the key measures announced is to introduce health messages on cigarette paper.[1], like a provision already adopted by Canada. Ireland and Scotland have also said they are considering such a measure. The aim is to make these health warnings unavoidable and help encourage smokers to quit, while also getting the message out to non-smokers. The measure will be applicable in Australia from 1 April 2024, with manufacturers having until 31 March 2025 to adapt and sellers having an additional three months to clear their stocks. All cigarettes will therefore have to have integrated this measure by 1 July 2025 at the latest.

The graphic health warnings on cigarette and vaping product packages will also be renewed, because their impact fades or even disappears after a certain time, which is known as the "wallpaper effect". thumbnails including new warnings and health advice will also be inserted in cigarette and tobacco packets, to encourage and help smokers to quit smoking. The size of cigarettes and their packets will also be standardized, to counter product differentiation. Misleading names, such as "cool", "fresh", "organic" or with names of colors will be prohibited. Flavoring processes intended to make cigarettes more attractive, such as the insertion of menthol or aromatic capsules, will also be prohibited. Chewing or chewing tobacco products will cease to be marketed. Finally, tobacco manufacturers will be required to publish details of their activities, both in terms of sales volumes and advertising as well as product content.

Electronic cigarettes are not forgotten, with in particular the ban on importing disposable electronic cigarettes ("puffs") and any non-therapeutic electronic cigarette, from January 1, 2024. Advertising and sponsorship will be prohibited for vaping products.

The fruit of cross-partisan efforts

This package of measures has been welcomed by public health stakeholders, who have been closely involved in their design. The Heart Foundation welcomes these "cross-partisan efforts", while the Australian Medical Association (AMA) welcomes the imminent ban on the importation of puffs.

These measures are in line with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (CCLAT), of the World Health Organization (WHO). The government intends to place Australia in "at the forefront of the global fight against tobacco", according to the formula of the Minister of Health, Mark Butler[2]Australia in particular was the first country to implement plain packaging for all tobacco products in December 2012.

This political commitment contrasts even more with the situation of the New Zealand, whose new government has just buried the main provisions of the tobacco exit plan.

MF