My article out today: why Australia has to now start reducing cigarette excise & make safer, smoke-free nicotine products easier to get than deadly cigarettes #auspol @algore09algor.bsky.social @jmenezes.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @ianamossyd.bsky.social pearlsandirritations.com/post/2026/05...

What can UK learn from Australia’s nicotine crackdown? 1) If you ban, stigmatise and spread misinformation about vaping you risk increasing smoking 🚬 2) If you tax tobacco out of affordability of everyday people, you create an uncontrollable black market 🔥 www.bmj.com/content/393/...

Is the government's enforcement-led approach going to win the tobacco wars? Not likely. Check out the latest conversation with the excellent team at 7am to find out why.🔥🔥👇 7ampodcast.com.au/episodes/sho...

🚨 New paper alert: 'Has Australia lost control of its tobacco and nicotine markets?' Short answer - yes, and largely by following two WHO endorsed policies: very high tobacco taxes and a ban on vapes and other less harmful nicotine products onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

3 senior exWHO researchers (R Beaglehole, R Bonita, T Pang), Nature Health 2026, “Increased use of smoke-free nicotine products such as vapes could help to achieve an ambitious global goal of reducing smoking prevalence below 5% by 2040” doi.org/10.1038/s443... @publichealthaus.bsky.social

Is the government's enforcement-led approach going to win the tobacco wars? Not likely. Check out the latest conversation with the excellent team at 7am to find out why.🔥🔥👇 7ampodcast.com.au/episodes/sho...

1/3 International Monetary Fund: Price the harm “But policymakers need to think more broadly about how to change unhealthy behavior.Ideally, the level of taxation should reflect the degree of harm a product is likely to cause while still safeguarding overall revenue. ..” @algore09algor.bsky.social

Interesting to see this new study on taxation and harm from the IMF. The authors note Australia's "misaligned" approach to tobacco taxation. They also point to the success of New Zealand's approach, noting the (much) less harmful effects of vaping 👇 www.imf.org/en/publicati...

Time for a Tin Tin defeats the drug lords comic book. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Do you smoke illicit tobacco in Australia? Want to share your views on the tobacco black market? Join us for a confidential interview. See info sheet below and email me at [email protected] for further info.

Check out the latest from @edjegasothy.bsky.social and me about Australia's historical experience with prohibition, and what lessons we can learn about it's impact on illicit markets and organised crime. theconversation.com/prohibitive-...

‘ … Reducing excise rates would shift consumption away from illicit products.' Review of Australia’s illicit tobacco market apo.org.au/node/333573

Do you smoke illicit tobacco in Australia? Want to share your views on the tobacco black market? Join us for a confidential interview. See info sheet below and email me at [email protected] for further info.

Do you smoke illicit tobacco in Australia? Want to share your views on the tobacco black market? Join us for a confidential interview. See info sheet below and email me at [email protected] for further info.

This seems like progress. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

@alexwodak.bsky.social @squigglyrick.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/09algor/...

People in Germany & Sweden consume similar quantities nicotine. But Germany mainly by smoking cigarettes while Sweden mainly by safer smoke-free nicotine policies. Germany has higher rates of cancer. Which country’s policy do you prefer? @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social

After 4 major political parties New Zealand supported regulate low-risk vaping ensure more available than deadly cigarettes, decline smoking accelerated, no vape black market @algore09algor.bsky.social @igas2.bsky.social @ianamossyd.bsky.social @jmenezes.bsky.social filtermag.org/new-zealand-...

New paper out co-authored with Jennifer Schumann, on the recent emergence of nitazenes in Australia's illicit THC vape supply. We discuss the regulatory context, implications, and the dangers of conflating adulteration of THC and nicotine vape supply. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

“Hamad is a symptom of our policy decisions. The conditions that created the illicit market are still in place.” satpa.pe/tlhW0N6

Long before he became “one of the world’s most dangerous wanted men”, as a suspected broker of Iranian terrorism and alleged orchestrator of Australia’s murderous tobacco wars, Kazem Hamad was just a troubled young man on a psych’s couch… satpa.pe/7tLOsWS

Great comments from @jamomartin.bsky.social reminder decapitating organised crime poor track record for improving outcomes & often sparks ⬆️violence as rivals fight for positions. Part of Australia’s failed policy on cigarettes & neo prohibition of vapes theconversation.com/alleged-toba...

Despite a record $15.7 million nicotine seizure, experts say Australia's multi-billion-dollar illicit tobacco and vape market continues to thrive, exposing the limits of raids and crackdowns.

Recent Australian tobacco policy has unfortunately been a battle between pro- & anti- harm reduction advocates with pro-HR winning all arguments but anti-HR policy being increased with tragic results. Betting against HR generally loses @jamomartin.bsky.social @aliveadvocacy.bsky.social

An eye-watering 34% increase in illicit drug consumption between 2023-24. Even more concerning, drug expenditure also actually decreased over that period. In other words, illicit drugs are getting cheaper. Time for a radical rethink about our heavy reliance on supply reduction.

A new study shows smoking and vaping rates increasing since the government's vape crackdown in 2024. A different strategy is needed.

The Drug Policy Alliance explains the Paradox of Prohibition. That is, the worst outcomes are achieved with either a totally unregulated free market or with prohibition. The least worst outcomes are achieved with a ‘Goldilocks’ (not too hot, not too cold) system of regulation. @sanho.bsky.social

Fiona Patten skewers abject failure of Australia’s tobacco & vape policies which slowed smoking decline, boosted violent black market, made multi billion dollar hole in government annual revenue & survives thanks to tsunami of disinformation @paulbongiorno.bsky.social www.smh.com.au/national/aus...

When Australia’s tobacco & vape policies failed, authorities doubled down on policies that didn’t work & can’t work. Restricting availability of safer vapes but keeping deadly cigarettes readily available always was insane @jamomartin.bsky.social www.aspistrategist.org.au/vapes-violen...

The curious case of the disappearing smoking data. The Roy Morgan release was unequivocal: smoking rates among young adults are up after vaping ban which had "demonstrably failed". And then it disappeared and was replaced with something more amenable. www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/health/...

Supply reduction (i.e., border control, law enforcement) is notoriously ineffective, expensive, and comes with a whole range of negative consequences that will likely make the problem worse, not better. Here is the full paper for those interested in a deeper dive: link.springer.com/content/pdf/...

‘A terrified tobacco runner was forced to tie up his friends and then bind his own feet, before Alameddine gangsters allegedly began cutting off his big toe in a horrific moment that illustrates how violence is part of doing business in Sydney’s gang wars’ www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...

Australia risks losing ‘war on nicotine’ in same way as war on drugs as illegal tobacco sales explode

Renowned THR expert Prof. Riccardo Polosa et al raise serious concerns re flawed meta-analytic practices leading to exaggerated claims re health risks of vaping link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Great to see a new pill testing site in Fitzroy! Also worth noting that harm reduction remains grossly underfunded across Australia, receiving just 1.6% of total drug funding, despite its much great efficacy in reducing drug related harm than supply or demand reduction.

In denial. Australia unable to reduce illicit supply cigarettes & associated violence unless some reduction in excessive excise. Can’t arrest its way out @jamomartin.bsky.social @edjegasothy.bsky.social @aliveadvocacy.bsky.social @ianamossyd.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Check out the new paper from @edjegasothy.bsky.social and me - 'Fanning the flame: analysing the emergence, implications, and challenges of Australia’s de facto war on nicotine', now published in Harm Reduction Journal. Thread below with the key findings and link to open access paper. 🧵

And another two firebombings overnight in QLD, resulting in "potentially life-threatening" burns to 2 men. Police do not have the time or resources to control this. The economic forces of supply and demand are too great. Need to improve legal supply. www.news.com.au/national/que...

Clive Bates outlines dangers of e-cigarette [#vape] prohibition & illicit trade. Often tobacco controls supports vy strict restrictions, not quite complete ban but unintended effects like prohibition @jamomartin.bsky.social @edjegasothy.bsky.social #auspol clivebates.com/the-danger-o...

Gangland shootings in NSW. Arson attacks and extortion in Victoria. Just another week in Australia's ever worsening #tobaccowars. Anyone starting to think that the creeping prohibition of our 3rd most popular recreational drug (after caffeine & alcohol) is not the best idea?

Police have vowed to "find every single one of these crooks" with a new mega taskforce formed in response to a spate of underworld attacks to rock Sydney in the past fortnight.

It was the tax man that took down Al Capone, but it was ending Prohibition that ultimately killed the black market. Stiffening penalties for selling illicit nicotine might sound like a good idea but it's unlikely to work given the scale of the problem. www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...

"The tobacco tax is a disaster playing out on our streets and in our budget" www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...

Frustrating to read the 'a child could enforce this' arguments here. Vapes alone constitute the 2nd largest illicit drug market in the country. There is no feasible level of enforcement that can contain a black market of this size and profitability. www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...

Coalition 100% right to accept Australia’s black market model vaping policy has been abject failure either requiring doctors prescription or buy from chemist. NZ realistic policy much better @aliveadvocacy.bsky.social @jamomartin.bsky.social @edjegasothy.bsky.social @ianamossyd.bsky.social

Some of the best reporting I've seen on this issue 👇

While headlines on the so-called tobacco wars focus on firebombings, extortion and gangland jealousies, skyrocketing government taxes on tobacco have long been fuelling the fire behind the scenes.