Part 10/10:
While health experts advocate for retaining high tobacco taxes as part of a public health strategy that has seen success, there’s now greater urgency for a multifaceted response that tackles both the immediate public safety concerns and the root causes of the black market trade. Policymakers have begun amping up efforts through increased penalties and a shift in protocol aimed at tackling organized crime’s underlying influence.
As Australia finds itself confronting this crisis head-on, it remains uncertain how successful measures will be in dismantling the entrenched networks that have reigned over the illicit tobacco market. The stakes could not be higher, with communities longing for a safer environment free from the violence that stemmed from the battle over black market tobacco.