The Pipe Tobacco Market in Australia

[OzPiper]

I have written repeatedly about the insane prices of tobacco in Oz

On the weekend I went online to see what was available in Oz. And what current prices are.
Surprisingly ALL blends were offered only in 30gm pouches.

So today I rang one retailer to find out why ?

Apparently the most recent legislation which came into force on 1st July makes it illegal to sell tobacco in quantities more than 30gms.
So he is obliged to open ALL tins and pouches and repackage the contents into 30gm pouches !

Another layer of legislative madness !
Be warned - it may be coming to a country or state near you

 

[georged]

People exist in the world who believe their Supreme Purpose In Life is to control the behavior of others.

It is as fundamental to them as gravity. No amount of argument---any kind of argument---will convince them otherwise.

Those people, naturally, gravitate to official positions which allow them to get off on their fetish as a paid job. A way to make a living.

Once they get into such positions, they do everything they can to hire people who agree with them, and remove those who disagree with them.

After a while, their department (or whatever it's officially called) becomes entrenched and united in a way that is unassailable.

The elimination of tobacco on Planet Earth was obviously seen as a soft target in many countries some years ago, and the result is distressingly obvious to those who enjoy it.

This dynamic is the source of the phrase "The tree of freedom is watered by blood."

 

[OzPiper]

Prohibition in the 1920s - 1933 in the USA was an abject failure with a huge rise in criminal activity.
Thank goodness the legislators saw sense in 1933.

The illegal tobacco trade in Oz has seen rival gangs carry out fire-bombings and drive-by shootings in a turf war.

Excise tax collected by Oz Taxation Office on legal tobacco has plummeted.

Little wonder when one can find black market cigarettes easily for AUD$15 a pack on main street shops/kiosks, instead of paying AUD$70 at a fair dinkum B&M

There is a total ban on flavoured cigarettes. Which can easily be found on the black market.
So if menthol is your go, what will you do ?
Stop smoking ? Or find an alternative source ?

 

[lukasstrifeson]

I shipped a box of tobacco to a forum member in NZ recently and was shocked he was OK with the $60-70 shipping fees, but when he explained how ridiculous your tobacco laws are in AUS/NZ I started to understand

 

[PaulRVA]

We’ve been known to toss goods into the Harbor and row across frozen rivers in the dead of night on Christmas to put a stop to nonsense like that.
Folks to our North aren’t in much better shape in the tobacco realm either and here it’s been on a downturn for decades as well although not to those levels of stupidity yet It’s coming.
If I showed up on your coast with my cellar contents untaxed it would easily purchase a nice home there.
The fact that it would is absurd.

 

[greeneyes]

Apparently the most recent legislation which came into force on 1st July makes it illegal to sell tobacco in quantities more than 30gms.
So he is obliged to open ALL tins and pouches and repackage the contents into 30gm pouches !

I reckon that Australia and NZ have some of the toughest anti tobacco laws. I lived in some countries where availability was the prohibitive factor (not legislation) and it made the whole thing a massive hassle.

As an aside, I think your tobacconist friend had three months time to return the old packaging to the manufacturer. Not sure he HAD to open and repackage everything himself.

 

[RL Bucktails]

People exist in the world who believe their Supreme Purpose In Life is to control the behavior of others.

It is as fundamental to them as gravity. No amount of argument---any kind of argument---will convince them otherwise.

Those people, naturally, gravitate to official positions which allow them to get off on their fetish as a paid job. A way to make a living.

Once they get into such positions, they do everything they can to hire people who agree with them, and remove those who disagree with them.

After a while, their department (or whatever it's officially called) becomes entrenched and united in a way that is unassailable.

The elimination of tobacco on Planet Earth was obviously seen as a soft target in many countries some years ago, and the result is distressingly obvious to those who enjoy it.

This dynamic is the source of the phrase "The tree of freedom is watered by blood."

People exist in the world who believe their Supreme Purpose In Life is to control the behavior of others.

Its human nature, always has been always will be.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

I'm sorry friend. That sucks. I hope those responsible will someday see justice.

 

[Sig]

Unfortunately people have become too fat and miserable to do anything about it.

This was supposed to be a response to @RL Bucktails

 

[PaulRVA]

Unfortunately people have become too fat and miserable to do anything about it.

This was supposed to be a response to @RL Bucktails

You’re absolutely doggone right.
Too soft , too weak, too scared.

 

[mingc]

What's the current situation on vaping? Seems like there was a vaping shop every 200 meters in the CBD in Melbourne about 2 years ago.

 

[The Benedictine]

We had a fun way of getting rid of politicians who trampled on rights in France.

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

I have written repeatedly about the insane prices of tobacco in Oz

On the weekend I went online to see what was available in Oz. And what current prices are.
Surprisingly ALL blends were offered only in 30gm pouches.

So today I rang one retailer to find out why ?

Apparently the most recent legislation which came into force on 1st July makes it illegal to sell tobacco in quantities more than 30gms.
So he is obliged to open ALL tins and pouches and repackage the contents into 30gm pouches !

Another layer of legislative madness !
Be warned - it may be coming to a country or state near you

That's ridiculous but it doesn't surprise me. So you can't even cellar a tin now? I could see the UK following suit in the not so distant future. They love stuff like that over here.

Fucking clownshoes

 

[OzPiper]

That's ridiculous but it doesn't surprise me. So you can't even cellar a tin now? I could see the UK following suit in the not so distant future. They love stuff like that over here.

Fucking clownshoes

Yes.
Can you imagine the extra work in having to open tins and repackaging them ?
Just bloody mindedness

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

Yes.
Can you imagine the extra work in having to open tins and repackaging them ?
Just bloody mindedness

The way prices keep going up in Aus, nobody is gonna be able to aford a whole tin, anyway. The prices in the UK aren't great but Australia, Canada and a few other places have gone insane with the taxes.

What a bunch of wankers

 

[OzPiper]

People exist in the world who believe their Supreme Purpose In Life is to control the behavior of others.

Its human nature, always has been always will be.

All in the name of the “greater good” whatever that may be

 

[OzPiper]

The way prices keep going up in Aus, nobody is gonna be able to aford a whole tin, anyway. The prices in the UK aren't great but Australia, Canada and a few other places have gone insane with the taxes.

What a bunch of wankers

My 1st thought was the 30gm pack was to make it more “affordable” to buyers.
It’s now AUD$105-110 per 30gm pack

 

[warren]

People exist in the world who believe their Supreme Purpose In Life is to control the behavior of others.

Don't forget all the folks who willingly cede their rights to those folks. Much easier to rely on others to tell them what's proper behavior than to keep the right of self-determination. Much, much easier.

 

[OzPiper]

What's the current situation on vaping? Seems like there was a vaping shop every 200 meters in the CBD in Melbourne about 2 years ago.

Vaping was supposed to be tightly regulated in that one has to get a “prescription” before you are “allowed” to buy the vaping equipment and fixings.
It’s all out of control and anyone can wander into any of the thousands of vape shops and just purchase whatever you wish.

“Tobacconists” these days are little more than vape and cigarette joints.

I wandered into a tobacconist that opened up recently in my area and inquired about pipe tobacco.
I was met with a blank look, then was shown a variety of glass bongs and display cabinets with vaping gear

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

My 1st thought was the 30gm pack was to make it more “affordable” to buyers.
It’s now AUD$105-110 per 30gm pack

Jesus wept! That's about £50 for 30g of pipe tobacco. Over here it'd be about £12 and that's high when compared to the US and Germany.

Once they've throttled the life out of tobacco they'll move on to vapes for their tax fix. They've already started bringing in more regulations in the UK. Controlling how much nicotine is in the liquid etc.