Tax on smokeless tobacco

I was always led to believe that the tax on tobacco was there to deter people from smoking. Snuff costs more to buy because it is half water and we have to pay air freight as well as loosing in the US/Aust dollar. If smokeless tobacco is 98% safer than smoking tobacco, how can they justify this high tax. They can't which is why they blame the World Health Organisation.

Check out these sites

www.smokersonly.org
It has some great information on smokeless tobacco and makes our government look ignorant in the very lease. I want to know why they are protecting the large smoking companies by stopping the sale of smokeless tobacco in our shops.


Here is another great site. http://baconbutty.blogspot.com/ This comment is exactly what we are suffering in this country.

Current ban pure nonsense

There is a tradition among Indigenous Australians of orally using "pituri" a native plant that delivers nicotine just like smokeless tobacco. Among Australian aboriginals there is an incredibly high incidence of smoking. Surely if smokeless tobacco products were as available as cigarettes the incidence of smoking among indigenous Australians would fall. It makes no sense for these products to be banned whatsoever.

What is smokeless tobacco

Smokeless tobacco products that Australians and New Zealanders use are manufactured in the USA and Sweden. Sometimes called snuff or snus, they are either loose or pouched flavoured and unflavoured tobacco that is placed between the gum and lip where they rest until discarded.

The oldest American brand, Copenhagen dates back to 1822, which is the same year the Swedes began manufacturing snus that became the Ettan brand.

The Smokeless Tobacco Action Group represents users of smokeless tobacco products (ST) in Australia and NZ. While these products are banned in both countries, ironically users are allowed to import ST for their own purposes. This process is extremely difficult, costly and causes product deterioration because of import delays.

STAG argues that because ST has been shown to be significantly safer than smoking cigarettes, there is no justification for any import or sale bans.

STAG calls on all governments responsible to remove their unfair bans and make ST products available for sale under the same conditions as cigarettes in a quest to provide a safer alternative to smokers and to save lives.