Australia is one of the most expensive countries in the world to buy cigarettes. A standard pack now costs around $60, and it's a price most smokers aren’t willing to pay. But that doesn’t mean they’ve stopped buying them altogether. New data estimates around 80% of cigarettes and nicotine products consumed last year were purchased on the black market, with organised crime undercutting the government by $30 a pack. And despite decades of taxes and education campaigns, overall nicotine consumption has surged. So what's actually going on? Today we unpack Australia's rapidly growing illegal tobacco industry.

Hosts: Billi FitzSimons and Emma Gillespie
Producer: Rosa Bowden

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Australia's illegal tobacco boom

The Daily Aus

Australia's illegal tobacco boom