Doctors warn cheaper cigarettes and vapes could fuel organised crime and cost lives

Dozens of Australian medical groups are warning proposals to lower the tobacco tax could risk allowing organised crime and big tobacco to heavily influence health policy. More than 30 medical bodies, including the Australian Medical Association, have signed a letter to federal politicians claiming cheaper cigarettes and commercial vape sales will kill more Australians. The letter says weak regulation and poor enforcement have allowed illegal tobacco sellers to thrive, but changing cigarette and vape laws will not change the black market. The Australian Council on Smoking and Health cited a move by Canada in the 1990s where tobacco taxes were cut, saying it contributed to 30-thousand extra deaths.