Illegal cigarettes 'easy' to obtain in Sydney, say teens

Teenagers in NSW are purchasing illegal, original-branded cigarette packets, claiming the original packaging makes them “cooler”.

Fifteen-year-old student Rosie said the original packaging detracted from the effectiveness of plain packaging. 

“It just makes people more excited about original packaging,” she said, “It helps that they are cheaper.”

Illegal cigarettes sell for as little as $8 a packet. A packet of legal cigarettes rarely costs less than $16. 

Ashley, also 15, from Blacktown, agreed.

“The only thing plain packaging does is make original packaging cooler,” she said.


Several groups of school students said original-packaged cigarettes were easily obtained at tobacconists in Haymarket and in the western suburbs.

“At our age, everyone does it,” said 15-year-old non-smoker Jasmin from Dulwich Hill.

“I don’t think there is that much judgment.”

Despite instances of teenagers smoking branded-packaging cigarettes, health academics believe plain packaging is working.

“When teenagers say ‘plain packaging isn’t working’ every other indicator would say that it is,” University of Sydney health academic Simon Chapman said.

Data from NSW Health revealed the smoking rate among NSW school students aged between 12-17 reduced from 27.3 per cent in 1984 to 7.5 per cent in 2011, before plain packaging was introduced.

Among people aged 14 and older, daily smoking declined from 15.1 per cent in 2010 to 12.8 per cent last year after plain packaging was introduced, according to the National Drugs Strategy Household Survey

NSW Health data revealed that in 2012-13, 6 per cent of tobacconists still sold to minors.  

The import of illegal cigarettes has also increased since plain-packaging laws were introduced. At the same time, customs has increased the levels of surveillance on the imports.  

In 2012-13, customs seized 200 million sticks of illegal cigarettes, up from 141 million in 2011-12.

In August, police seized 500,000 sticks of illicit tobacco after raiding tobacconists in Fairfield and Bankstown.

Among the cigarettes obtained were branded cigarettes and counterfeit or "fake" cigarettes. 

Illegal cigarettes not only impact on legitimate businesses, but the wider economy as well, said Commander of the NSW Police Force's Property Crime Squad, Murray Chapman.

"Those who import and sell these cigarettes are avoiding government taxes."

He was also concerned that illegal cigarettes could contain higher levels of toxic substances than legal cigarettes.

"Counterfeit cigarettes are produced without any regulation or manufacturing standards," he said.

"We have been made aware of cases where fake cigarettes have been found to contain mould, faeces and even asbestos."

Despite the health concerns surrounding illegal cigarettes, school students are waiting longer to try, or take up, smoking.

According to Professor Chapman, attitudes towards the “look” of smoking have changed.

“Smoking was something that used to annoy our parents and that was considered cool,” he said.

“People don’t look at kids and say 'that looks out there', it just looks dumb.''

Sixteen-year-old student Gemma from Rosehill agreed.

“It’s stupid, smells like shit and kills people.”

Teenagers remain unconvinced the aggressive, anti-smoking advertising campaigns run by the government are effective.

“I don’t really think its gets to people my age,” 16-year-old Thomas said. "The ads are for people who are already feeling the effects.”

He added smoking was common among his peers.

“If people want to buy them then they still will, just walk around the corner and you will probably see someone in their school uniform.”

But Professor Chapman said anti-tobacco advertising has had a significant role in declining smoking rates.

“A lot of adult-targeted advertising is actually working, like a trojan horse, on kids,” he said.  

“Kids are really sensitive to adult content. If it's directed at their parent, they pick it up too.”

Social situations remain hives of experimentation for teenagers with most saying they had been offered a cigarette at least once.

“I just did it because I was at parties and stuff,” said 15-year-old Ashley, who started smoking when she was 14.

Professor Chapman urged teenagers to heed the warnings of the ads and not get caught up in the belief it won't affect them.

“Smokers of all ages have self-exempting beliefs, like ‘everything causes cancer these days’, or ‘I’m young and physically fit so it doesn't have an effect,'” he said.

“It can then be very, very hard to quit.”