Smoking and tobacco control

Tobacco smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death and disease in Australia. Smoking leads to a wide range of diseases including many types of cancer, heart disease and stroke, chest and lung illnesses and stomach ulcers. It claims the lives of around 24,000 Australians every year.

Reducing smoking-related death and illness is a priority of Cancer Council Australia. Our Tobacco Issues Committee has developed a number of position statements, some of which are aimed at helping individuals reduce smoking-related health risk and others of which support Cancer Council's key tobacco-related advocacy priorities.

Members of the Tobacco Issues Committee include representatives of the National Heart Foundation of Australia, the McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer, the Australian Council on Smoking and Health (ACOSH), and public health experts, as well as Cancer Councils around Australia and the New Zealand Cancer Society.

Plain packaging of tobacco products

Following increased restrictions on traditional forms of tobacco advertising and promotion in Australia, the cigarette pack has become an increasingly important marketing tool and means of communicating brand quality and image to potential and current smokers.

Reforms to how tobacco products are promoted through packaging are essential to reducing the unacceptable level of death and disability caused by smoking in Australia.

A recent review of the evidence examines research over two decades and across five countries on plain packaging. The review includes results of 24 published studies which have examined the likely impact of plain packaging on young people and current smokers. It also summarises the results of research analysing industry arguments about barriers to legislation resulting from international law and trade agreements.

Tobacco-related disparities

While smoking rates across Australia have declined substantially over the past decades to around 13% of the population, among the most disadvantaged groups rates are up to five times higher than the population average.

This means that the most disadvantaged groups in Australia bear a disproportionate share of tobacco-related illness.

Reducing smoking rates in these populations is an important and pressing public health issue. This position statement outlines effective strategies for reducing the tobacco-related disease burden in the most highly disadvantaged groups.

Electronic cigarettes

Cancer Council and the National Heart Foundation of Australia recommend the proper regulation of non-nicotine electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), particularly for the protection of young people, ensuring smoke-free laws cover e-cigarette emissions and prohibiting advertising and promotion of e-cigarettes.

On the potential risks and benefits of e-cigarettes as a nicotine delivery device, Cancer Council is one of five signatories on a summary statement coordinated by Cancer Australia, which recommends deferring to Australia's independent National Health and Medical Research Council on the scientific evidence review and the Therapeutic Goods Administration on matters of product regulation.

Mental health services and smoking

Mental health services should be encouraged to routinely ask all clients about their smoking status and offer evidence-based tailored cessation support. As part of this process services should review their policies on smoking to create supportive smoke-free environments to protect both staff and clients from second-hand smoke and to support smokers who are trying to quit.

Consistent with recovery principles, these supports and policies should be developed in partnership with people with a lived experience of mental health issues, their family members and carers, and service provider staff.

This position statement comprises a number of additional recommendations on smoking and mental health services and the evidence on which they are based.

Addressing smoke infiltration in multi-unit housing

Reducing the palatability of tobacco products

The composition of tobacco products remains largely unregulated in Australia. This leaves tobacco companies considerable scope to manipulate products in order to maximise their attractiveness to new smokers, and make it more difficult for smokers to quit.

The use of flavourings, such as menthol, and masking agents disguise the harsh taste and unpleasant odour of tobacco and may increase the addictiveness of nicotine. Similarly, various cigarette design features such as filter ventilation are often used to increase the palatability of cigarettes, making them more attractive and creating a misleading perception of reduced harm.  

Cancer Council recommends prohibiting the use of flavourings, masking agents and filter design features that increase the palatability and appeal of tobacco products in order to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use.